The Daughter of Minerva
by Raptorsnribbons
Summary: After LOST HERO: Annabeth finds Percy at the Roman camp and brings him back for the trip to Greece, on the way she has her own adventures, dealing with amnesia, monsters, hunters, and Romans. Written prior to SON OF NEPTUNE, in Annabeth's POV
1. To Start

_There was a chance and I believed in it. I had calculated the slim likelihood of everything working out for the better, but refused to accept it- why couldn't I? Stupid girl… I had wanted to believe in happy endings- of everything turning out alright, or good enough. If I had to slay a few monsters to get things to be that way- I could deal with that, but what my gray eyes fell upon seemed altogether much worse than anything before._

* * *

**Annabeth's Story:**

"_Ave, Diana_," I began, not entirely sure of what I was about to say. "_Iuva me invenire Perseum*_." That didn't sound right. I had studied for hours but that still didn't sound right. It would have to do.

Upon hearing me, Artemis cocked her head curiously. She wasn't Artemis- I kept forgetting that. "_Quid dixis_*?"

I panicked, what was she saying? As though I actually knew Latin… I repeated myself.

Diana smiled. "Annabeth, why are you trying to speak Latin?"

I sighed, apparently my Latin wasn't very good. "I needed to talk to you as Diana. I have reason to believe that Percy has been taken to the Roman demigod camp. There was talk of there being an 'exchange' as Jason came to Camp Half-Blood and likely Percy went to the Roman Camp. You offered to help me search for him months ago and I've had no luck. If I can find that camp or even a Roman demigod, then I might be able to find Percy. I don't even know where to begin looking, but I figured, perhaps you- Diana, the Roman goddess, just might know."

"Ah, yes, I did promise to help, didn't I? The Greeks and Romans were not supposed to know about each other, but you can't un-ring the bell," Diana thought for a moment before adding, "I cannot help you- not directly anyway. I have to watch over my hunters- the hunters of Artemis. I can send some assistance- they may prove more competent. They are my hunters- much like the band you have already met, but they are the Roman counter-part. I did not ask them to participate in the search, but as it is apparent Greeks and Romans do in fact, know about each other now, I will call them to help."

"Thank you, Diana." I cheered, trying my best to hide my joy- Diana wasn't smiling.

"I will call for them so that they will be here by dawn," Diana explained. "Oh, and also, good luck, Annabeth," she said as she departed.

Yes! Finally, I might actually get somewhere in my search for Percy. Artemis- as she was now Artemis and not Diana- gathered up her hunters and moved on going off to chasing Lycaon and the rest of his wolves. They left me here, alone, and in the dark.

I pitched a tent for the night, pulled out my laptop and played around with it for a while, worked on learning Latin, and just about anything else to make me feel as though I weren't so entirely alone. This didn't work, so I closed my lap top and tried to fall asleep.

My thoughts drifted to Seaweed Brain, and how it would be to find him, just even to see him again. That was enough to give me goose bumps. But first, I'd have to find that Roman camp.

What if I found him and he was speaking Latin? I winced at the thought. There was a darker fear lurking in the back of my mind that I didn't want to consider. If the exchange really did go the way Camp Half-Blood had received it- with Jason having amnesia and even now, sitting back at Camp Half-Blood knowing next to nothing about his former home.

That could very well be Percy too, over at that Roman Camp. I didn't want ot think about that, not now, not here. No more thinking about that- I put that out of my mind or tried my best to anyway. Damn my need to over-think everything!

Because of that, I cried myself to sleep.

The next morning, I awoke to a noise, if it was even a noise at all. Everything was quiet, but there must have been a noise somewhere- without even realizing it, I had already drawn my knife.

A threat was looming- I could already sense it.

I unzipped the tent gingerly- it wouldn't be the first time I'd found some monster waiting on the other side. I just prayed it wouldn't kill me now- things were actually going pretty well- or at least would be great soon enough.

First of all- it was freezing out and fog loomed about, so dense I could hardly see a few feet ahead of me. I stepped out and my feet sunk into the snow- a few inches must have fallen overnight. I lifted my knife to point my way around. Better safe than sorry.

Then suddenly, something cut through the fog, falling from the sky. I jumped back nearly falling into my tent. Thank the gods for ADHD. Whatever it was, it hit the ground, and stuck out of the snow where I had stood.

I looked at it- clearly it was an arrow- with black and blue feathers tied to the end of it. I pulled it out of the ground. It was a warning shot- or whoever fired it assumed they had killed me.

* * *

Footnotes:

*_Help me to find Percy._

_**What did you say?_

* * *

_**Author's Note: What do you think? Please write a review and tell me!**_

**_Also, In General:_**

**_I do not own any of the characters- except for the ones I made up- all rights go to Rick Riordan. The Daughter of Minerva was written for entertainment only- I have no intentions of publishing it or printing it. As of now, it is written as a fan-made sequel to Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero, it is probably not how it will be but still makes for a good story. _**

**_In a separate note, I drew a cover for this story, you can see it in a link on my profile page. _**


	2. The Hunters of Diana

**Annabeth's Story (continued):**

I held the arrow in my hands; my fingers slid over the feathers- eyes of Argus, peacock feathers. Jason and the Hunters never should have rescued her. On the head of the arrow was a shimmery, golden, "J". Juno – Hera's Roman name.

Then I heard a howl in the distance- deep inside the fog. The sound of feet splashing through the snow and brief incomprehensible shouts followed. I didn't back down- not now. I couldn't run from whatever was coming- I had nowhere to go, whatever it was had the advantage. As it was, I had evaded Juno's attempt to strike me dead, perhaps that was only her attempt only to get to me first.

A silhouette emerged in the fog- just a shadow, rushing at me. Then a second one appeared. And a third. I held my knife out, shivering with fear- perhaps the cold too- but mostly fear. I could see more of them- but they had stopped running.

I stepped forward, hating now very much that I was alone and could be gobbled up without anyone ever noticing or caring- heck, there's a chance even Seaweed Brain won't remember me.

Shaking, I heard the snow crunch under my boots.

"_Salve, filia Minervae *_," A voice called out. I first noticed: it was a girl's voice- what a relief! But wait- why was Juno trying to kill me then? Oh, that's right, because she's Juno; I shouldn't have been so surprised, she never wanted me getting involved- to possibly be a hero. But I guess it's like that for just about every hero- except for Jason that is- at least it isn't as awful as what she did to Hercules.

I lowered my knife. Then, I actually tried to think of what they had said- why does everyone all the sudden have to say everything in Latin? English is a perfectly good language you know.

I wanted to call out, 'No speak-ere Lingua Latin!" If I did, I'd never be taken seriously again. So I began, "Salve! Um…" I couldn't think of anything else I knew how to say. I probably should have gone with my first thought- I must have seemed pretty stupid anyway.

With my knife down at my side, the group approached. I could see them- the Hunters of Diana. They were dark-haired and pale-eyed, dressed in furs with wolves sitting at their feet. These hunters looked a lot like Artemis's hunters, but something told me they weren't. These hunters were older- the youngest being no younger than fifteen. They all seemed quite serious- in a way that Artemis's hunters never were- they didn't smile or suggest that they were in anyway happy to see me- helping me it seemed, was nothing more than another task for them to complete.

"_…Ergo, ego Bellatrix, et_-**" One of the girls- the one wearing a red fox fur cape began speaking. Ugh! She thought I knew Latin…

"No, no, I don't speak Latin," I interrupted.

"Oh, sorry, why didn't you say something earlier?" the girl in the fox cape asked.

"I'm learning."

"You're recently claimed then? Congrats!" another girl butted in.

"Actually no… I'm Greek."

They gasped as though it were some scandalous news. The girl in the fox cape spoke up first, "Oh, a daughter of Athena, I should say then. By the way, I don't know if you caught this earlier- you don't speak Latin, so probably not, but I am Bellatrix. And these are the rest of the hunters."

They went around introducing themselves, starting with: "Fauna," followed by:

"Aurora."

"Meg."

And "Luna."

As though I'd ever remember all of these names, there were only five of them- a surprisingly small group, but they all looked alike. Upon further inspection, I noticed that they all wore different animal furs and that would be incredibly helpful if I actually knew who wore which.

"So, what is our mission?" Bellatrix asked. I could remember Bellatrix- she must have been their leader. "Our patron, Diana, called us to you- to help you or whatever."

"Artemis- I mean, Diana, was helping me look for…" I decided saying 'my boyfriend' might not be the greatest word choice considering I was talking to a small group of dedicated, anti-boy, hunters. "-For my _friend_, Percy Jackson. He disappeared a few months ago and I have reason to believe that he may have been taken to the Roman demigod camp. Artemis- Diana- agreed but told me she couldn't leave her hunters- the Greek ones- to help me find it, so she called you in."

They nodded, but definitely weren't happy with my explanation. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned Artemis was with the Greek hunters, that just might have struck a nerve. If it did, they tried to cover it well- really tried to.

"Okay, then." Bellatrix spoke up to break the awkward quiet. "We should start moving- we're going on foot if that's okay with you, filia Minervae."

"Actually, it's Annabeth- my name," I was quickly getting sick of Latin. "And it's just fine." Not ideal, by foot could take months, I was barely out of New Jersey and we were headed west- California, west- but it had to be just fine- I had no other choice.

I packed up my tent while they stood by to watch, never lifting a finger to help. Then, we left trudging through the snow, frost, and freezing cold. Lucky me.

As I stumbled along, I pulled out a photograph of me and Percy- Chiron had taken it last summer. I had kept it in my coat pocket. We were both smiling and I was actually happy, really happy, perhaps happier than I've ever been before- and it seemed he was too. Looking at this almost made me start crying again- I couldn't do that now- not in front of the hunters. _This was all for you, Seaweed Brain. All for you._

I didn't want to think about Percy and since the hunters seemed to enjoy traveling in silence or near silence- since the hunter wearing a badger-fur coat and the hunter in the rabbit-fur cloak were chatting about some hunting technique or another- so I let my thoughts drift back to Camp Half-Blood- _home_. When I left, Leo had been working on his new idea for a ship- the Argo II- I think. He was trying to figure out how to set flames to it without it instantly burning and then sinking. The poor boy did it on a smaller scale, and pushed it around with his finger in a bowl of water. Unfortunately, the boat was actually on fire- so therefore he was the only one who could touch it. I bet right now, he was probably still drawing up plans and Jason and Piper were probably doing… whatever they do. And I'd bet Clarisse was working on some new weapon that Chiron will declare illegal and shortly after have to confiscate. Thinking of all that made me smile.

"What are you smiling at?" A girl in a bob-cat hood started. "Oh, who's this?" she said, snatching the photo of me and Percy from my grip.

"Hey! Don't!" I pleaded.

"A _boy_?" the girl laughed. "Are you _serious_?"

"Just give it back!" I whined, grabbing for it, but the girl held it out of my reach.

"Aurora!" Bellatrix whipped her head around when she heard the commotion. "What is it?"

The girl in the bob-cat hood hooted, waving the picture around, "It's a picture of _her_ and some _boy_!"

"Please!" I whimpered.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "Aurora, give it back to her. It obviously has some importance to Annabeth."

"Give it back to her?" Aurora asked, surprised. "But what about Diana's-"

"Annabeth is **not** a hunter- let her keep her picture," Bellatrix declared making me feel all the more like some outsider.

"Fine," Aurora grumbled dropping my photograph into the snow. I picked it up, whipped the snow off of it, and put it back in my coat pocket. I'd have to be more careful with what I show them- I guess.

We walked for another hour before taking a break to rest- even though we walked entirely through wilderness and covered a good distance, I doubted we had even left Pennsylvania or for that matter even made a dent in our travels. Walking was not going to be fun- perhaps I can opt to take a bus or something and just meet them over in California.

"Who was that in your picture?" One of the girls asked- this time it was a hunter wearing a brown jacket with what looked like a hood made out of squirrel skins- that would be gross, but she made it look nice and warm, stitched up and cleaned.

I pulled the picture out of my pocket- squirrel girl didn't seem mean enough that she might want to tear it up or anything. "That's my friend, Percy- Percy Jackson, the one we're looking for."

"He's your _friend_? Or your boyfriend?"

I hesitated before answering.

"I won't bite- it's just Aurora who's gone over the edge a little- she might actually bite," Squirrel girl joked.

"He's my boyfriend, and I would like to rescue him from the Roman camp, okay?" I muttered.

"I knew it!" Squirrel girl grinned. "Quit worrying so much. Really! Well, maybe not so much around Aurora- or Fauna- even Bellatrix, kinda… The rest of us though."

"That's three already, and there's only five of you."

"Alright, then, your '_secret's_' safe with me. Aurora was just mad because of what happened before she joined our little group," Squirrel girl began.

"What happened?" I asked.

"She's had her fair share of boyfriends- each worse than the last and she's not shy about sharing any of this- I've heard it so many times- look at me- I can tell myself. Anyway, one day she just couldn't handle it anymore- and so she joined us. She's a daughter of Mars- they aren't great at dealing with emotions- but I'm sure you probably already knew that."

"Luna and Annabeth!" Bellatrix called, "We'd better keep walking- we should go a few more miles before stopping for the night."

Luna- that must have been Squirrel girl's name. I shoved my photograph back into my pocket- happy now that if anything, I at least had an ally.

* * *

**Footnotes/Translation:**

_* Hello, Daughter of Minerva_

_** ...Well, I am Bellatrix and-_

* * *

**I decided to add in other characters- will not be doing too much of this as I do plan to stick with stuff from the books and Greek and Roman mythology. Please, write a review- as I would love to hear what you think! (Love it, like it, or hate it - I'd love to hear about that).**

**Also additional note:**

** new characters were not pulled from or inspired by Harry Potter. **

** Bellatrix is the name of a star, and means "warrior woman" (which I thought was fitting for the character)**

** Luna is Latin for moon- one of Diana's symbols **

** the other names fit with the theme of Diana's symbols, etc. **


	3. The Hydra

**Warning: the following chapter does contain some violence- nothing too terrible but still... **

* * *

_Meanwhile, a new enemy was rising, tearing its legs from the dirt, and taking its first breath in centuries. After all that time of wishing she could die, but now she was back- back to finally take revenge on the gods for what they had done. She growled and scuttled off into the darkness._

* * *

I had been out in the wilderness, traveling with the hunters for four days now. We just crossed over Ohio and were making headway in Indiana and nothing else over that span of time had tried to kill me- I think that may just be a record.

It also might have helped that Aurora found my phone and threw it into the Delaware River on the first day into the trip. Fortunately, I didn't really have anyone to call with Percy being lost and my friends from Camp Half-Blood not having cell phones and all.

Since we reached Indiana, the line of forests almost immediately ended, all day we had been walking through open fields with tall grasses. A stream was running nearby- Luna explained that they always traveled along running water, mostly for the dogs, but it was also a little know survival technique Diana had taught them.

The little Indiana stream was still flowing despite it being the dead of winter- but was glazed with ice. I had to watch were I stepped- twice already that day, I had stepped on thin ice thinking it was thick, only to fall through getting up to my ankles soaked in the freezing water. My toes were seriously cold- the inside of my boots were wet from the water. Every few steps I felt the urge to throw off my boots to check to make sure my toes were still there at all- I didn't complain- the hunters must have been used to this- walking in below freezing temperatures as though it were a spring day and going for miles on end. I would sound ridiculous if I started bellyaching over some cold toes. If it was anything serious, I couldn't believe it wouldn't be something some ambrosia wouldn't cure.

My foot slipped a third time, causing me to stumble into the water. The hunters ignored me as I climbed up onto the bank- this seemed to be their typical reaction- say nothing and do nothing. Ugh- I had to hope all Romans weren't like that.

The awkward silence was broken by a hiss- almost like the wind blowing over reeds… Almost, not quite. The hunters stopped dead in their tracks.

The sound was all too familiar- I'd heard it before. I pulled out my dagger.

The hunters followed, whipping out their bows and prepared their arrows to fire. It didn't have to be said as it was already on all of our minds- just one word: _hydra._

It was in the reeds along the stream, couldn't see it yet but it was most certainly there. Clearly, it wanted a fight – one of us would have to die for the other to pass. It hissed again- already my mind was sorting through the best ways for defense. Thank the gods that my mother is the goddess of war and battle strategy.

Unfortunately, we were at the disadvantage- most of these strategies meant that more than likely someone would die or be killed for us to win… Hmmm…

"Aurora," I whispered.

Aurora made a face like '_why is she talking?_ ' I ignored it.

"Send your wolf into the reeds," I muttered, hesitantly.

"What!" Aurora mouthed, searching for someone to speak up to back her up.

"Just do it!" Bellatrix growled.

"Bellatrix? Do you have a match?" I asked. "We have to set the reeds on fire."

"Wh-what?"

"That's how you kill a hydra! Cut off its heads and set it on fire," I explained.

"Why do I have to send my pet out, again?" Aurora groaned.

"We need bait- would you rather it be one of you?" I snapped.

"_Stulta __filia __Minervae_," she grumbled to herself, before calling out, "_Ei__, lupus *_!"

The wolf at Aurora's heals bolted out into the reeds. The hydra roared raising four hideous heads out of the reeds, descending upon the poor dog.

"Set it on fire," I commanded. Aurora glared at me. I snatched the matches away from her. The dry reeds caught fire immediately; smoldering in seconds, blazing in moments.

The hydra shrieked, waving its heads above the flames. It caught to the fire and the flames lapped at its skin. It stammered and fell to the ground- not yet dead.

I took a step back from the reeds. The water snake hissed furiously.

This seemed now eerily similar to the time me, Luke and Thalia stumbled across a hydra. We came across all kinds of dangerous things we didn't know how to handle- and what did we do? Oh, wait that's right-

Without a second thought I ran, darting off as fast as my feet could carry me - whether the hunters would follow would be their own choice. I glanced over my shoulder- the hydra was in pursuit with open flame still charring its skin, one of the heads hung limply- the other three were still raging, bearing its fangs.

Suddenly an arrow struck the water snake.

I watched Bellatrix pull an arrow into her bow preparing for another shot. The hydra hissed- and drew back towards her.

I continued running- the hunters could finish it from here. I'd caused them enough trouble. Percy would have disagreed- he would have stayed and fought alongside them- even if it killed him.

I sighed. Staying, ultimately would have been the right thing to do- not the brightest thing to do, but nevertheless what I should have done. My mother might be proud, but I wasn't.

I listened to the hydra's last cry out before the hunters struck it down.

It seem I'll have to find my own way to the Roman Camp.

That evening, I made my way to a bus stop- hopped on the bus and paid my way to California, praying to the gods that I'd know what to do once I finally got there.

* * *

Seventeen hours later, the bus pulled to a stop in San Francisco, CA. The moment I stepped out of the bus, I just knew this would be an awful trip.

* * *

**Footnotes:**

* Stupid Daughter of Minerva... Go, wolf!

* * *

**I know- not great right? But don't worry, the next chapter is going to be awesome! (really)**

**I had to include a few things that would be important later but seem not-so-great for right now. **

**And as always if you have any thoughts, comments, or ideas- please write a review! **


	4. Luke

I thought for a moment- that can't be right…. No. I was seeing things. I had to be- there was no other explanation, or at least none that came to mind and I was usually so full of ideas.

Waiting at the bus stop was an all too familiar face. _Luke…_

It was him- handsome as ever, that same blonde hair, blue eyes, even had that jagged scar under his eye. I couldn't breathe. He shouldn't have been there- shouldn't be anywhere. He died, didn't he? He was dead! I watched him die.

Luke smiled and gave a little wave. I nearly fainted.

"Annabeth!" he wrapped his arms around me for a bear-hug, planting a kiss on my forehead.

I shuttered, gasping and gaping. For the gods' sake, I prayed I wasn't going mad.

"Yeah, I see you're just oh-so-happy to see me too!" Luke added sarcastically.

My hand fell to his forearm, it was bandaged up- I guess the injury had never really gone away.

I took a step back. "Luke… Wh-what are you duh-doing here?" I stuttered unable to bring up the fact that he had died.

He hugged me again and whispered, "I came back! Gaea let me come back!" He jumped excitedly like some little kid. He looked down at me- caught somewhere between fear and awe. "We can be a family again, just like before- just me, you, and Thalia. It'll be great… I know it will."

I didn't know what to say. Then I remembered Percy, everything that happened between Luke and Percy.

I nodded to Luke before adding, "But first, I have to rescue Percy."

"Percy?" Luke frowned. "Him again?"

"You've missed a lot… Gaea waking and wants to make war with the gods- she's raising an army of Cyclopes and wants to take out all the demigods, one by one. Also, there's been an exchange between Greek and Roman demigod camps- that's right there is a Roman demigod camp and it's really close- I think that's where Percy is. So first, before we can get back all that great, mushy family stuff- I've got to go find Percy, then we're going to Greece-"

"Greece?"

"Longer story- I'll explain later, but first, I have to find Percy. I love you, Luke, I really do but I have to find Percy. I've been searching for too long and have come so close, I just have to do this!" I rushed through.

"Fine. Count me in- I'm coming," Luke added.

I grabbed his hand and we started walking when I whispered, "Oh, Luke, I've missed you so much."

We walked around San Francisco for hour, spent looking at maps and Luke listening to me go on talking about things, and reminiscing on the good old days when it was only the two of us and Thalia. I told him about the hydra- how I ran and how I was ashamed.

"I probably would have done the same thing- those hunters sound like real witches," he tried to comfort me.

Luke shouldn't have been there- he shouldn't have been the one comforting me- it should have been Percy- who at this point couldn't have been more than a mile away.

I stopped talking and started flipping through the maps again. It couldn't have been in the city- off the coast perhaps or in the mountains. I relayed this to Luke.

"In the mountains? Wasn't that by the Mountain of Despair- Atlas's mountain?" Luke asked.

"Yeah! I was stuck there for a while- I guess someone might have noticed if there were some enormous Roman demigod camp out that way," I thought out loud.

"Great, I'm sure we can rent a boat and check along the coast," Luke decided. "Renting a boat's going to cost money- do you have any?"

I thought for a moment, my wallet, my savings, etc. I had enough to get by- not enough to just spend right and left. "No, we can't rent one- fortunately I've got a back-up plan," I muttered pulling out my New York Yankees hat.

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Luke asked. "I can do this for you- it's dangerous." We were waiting at the marina watching a man fill his motor boat's gas tank.

"Besides I'm the son of Hermes- god of thieves- I can do this!" Luke continued.

I handed my Yankees cap over to Luke. Piper's charm speaking might have come in handy right about now- but I didn't have that, instead we had a natural-born thief who had just recently come back from the dead and a cap of invisibility.

Suddenly, the boat's motor roared to life and began driving away. Luke appeared with my cap in his hand, "Come on, Annabeth!" I ran down the dock and jumped onto the boat which was still in motion.

The boat's owner had stepped away from the gas pump and ran down the dock shouting after us.

"We'll return it, eventually," Luke laughed.

We rode off in the boat, bouncing over the waves. _We're coming, Seaweed Brain!_

* * *

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Write a review- I'd be glad to hear about it!**


	5. A Run in with Little Fox Hunters

"Even if it's an island, it probably is going to be just as protected as Camp Half-Blood, I mean- we haven't heard of them up until a few months ago, there had to be something in place to keep it that way," I rambled on as I flipped through maps.

Luke had been driving in circles for twenty minutes.

"Makes sense. It has to be protected by the Mist. For all we know we could end up circling it for hours and thinking that it's nothing more than some big rock."

Hmmm…. I hadn't considered that. It made sense as even we demigods can't always see through the Mist right away. "Good thinking, Luke- let's try that. Pull the boat up to _that_, that rock!" I commanded.

The rock was less of a rock and more of a mountain just poking out of the water.

"There?" Luke hesitated.

"Yeah! That could be it!" I answered, hoping it was and I was right. It had to be close now.

"Annabeth, that's suicide, you can't just drive the boat into the rocks and expect us to get there in one piece," Luke warned.

"Luke, but those rocks aren't rocks- they're just the Mist!" I reasoned.

"That's all if and only _if _you are absolutely right that this is the island we're looking for and those jagged, pointy rocks are all just part of our imagination," Luke stammered but set the boat toward the island anyway. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yeah, I-I'm pretty sure…" but what was I sure of? We had just a good of chance of crashing as we did of making it to the island.

"Dying a second time can't be as bad as the first? Can it?" Luke muttered to himself.

The boat accelerated forward. Then, BANG!

"Darn it!" I muttered. The boat hit the rocks then fell flat. We could hear the water pouring into the boat's fiberglass hull.

Luke jumped from the boat onto the rocks and then helped me climb down.

"That wasn't nearly as bad as I'd thought it would be," Luke grinned. "We're still here- in one piece, just great."

"Great? Because you listened to me, we're _stuck_ here!" I growled. I looked around the rock- this obviously wasn't the right place.

"Who can we Iris message for help?" Luke asked.

"Everyone's back in New York- I don't know," I grumbled.

"Fishermen probably come out this way- we can just call for help when they pass," Luke suggested.

If Percy was here, this wouldn't have happened. Seaweed Brain would have found a way for us to get back to land safely, whether we swam it or caught a ride from some kind of fish or another. He isn't here though- and that thought just set me into an even worse mood.

Then we heard: "_Ecce! Ecce! __Vulpes __est__!*"_

Then, just my lucky day, there came a shower of arrow. Luke and I ran and ducked our heads, hiding along the rocky shore. Of course the Romans find us… I was hoping things would be the other way around.

"_Minime__!_ _Desiste, __liberi __stulti__!**" _was called and the arrows stopped coming.

I poked my head out from hiding. There was a band of children no older than eight holding bows and an older figure scolding them- of course the argument had to be in Latin so I had no idea what was going on.

Then at last, the older one shouted to the heavens, "_Omnia __ignoscite__, __d__ea Nemesis__!***_I can make this right._"_ The argument was over. "_Stulti __liberi_…" The oldest grumbled as he walked towards us.

"Show yourselves," the Roman commanded.

I stood up and stepped out of cover. Luke followed.

"Why are you here?" the Roman boy asked. Out in the open, I could get a better look at him. He looked like a normal kid, roughly around my age, perhaps a little older. He wore a purple shirt under a black jacket, the shirt was like the one Jason was wearing when he first arrived at Camp Half-Blood.

"Our boat crashed here, and we're stuck," I explained briefly.

The Roman boy thought before asking, "Why were you hiding?"

He was asking if we saw through the Mist- I knew that, but Luke didn't, before I could stop him, he blurted out, "Why were we hiding? Are you blind? There was just a whole brigade of archers firing on us! How could you have missed that?"

"Oh… You both are going to need to come with me-"

Luke didn't stand down, the Roman boy must have been a few years younger than him and I knew Luke would be too proud to submit to any of this. He started, "No-".

I interrupted with, "Luke, I think we should."

"You know more than you're letting on. Who are you?" the Roman boy interrogated.

I took a deep breath. "The Hunters of Diana intended to lead me here, obviously I am not with them anymore. Anyway, my name is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Minerva, and this is my friend, Luke Castellan, the son of… umm…" I thought for a moment trying to remember Hermes's Roman name. "Mercury."

"Oh, you should have said something before, I'm Bobby by the way, son of Phoebus Apollo," the Roman boy began saying. He brought us to the other side of the rock where somehow he had managed to bring a boat to shore, unscathed. Bobby pulled out a whistle and blew into it hard enough to emit a loud high-pitched tune.

Immediately the band of children that had fired at us reappeared trampling over the rock.

"_Nihil __inveniebamus_!****" One of them complained.

"Well, you can't expect it to just wait around for you to shoot it!" Bobby smiled at them as though he knew something they didn't. "They've been looking for the Teumessian fox," he explained to us. I nearly laughed- the Teumessian fox- although it wasn't something I'd ever seen for myself, I knew it was a fox that could never be caught.

Bobby loaded the children into the boat before helping me in. He let Luke pull himself up into the boat. I didn't blame him, Luke seemed about as hostile as a frustrated child of Aries. Bobby climbed aboard, untied the boat, and then started up the motor.

He set the boat out into the open sea, going at a speed quick enough to cut through the waves.

"Are you both recently claimed? Usually Lupa sets out to find new demigods, I wonder what happened," Bobby asked casually.

"Actually, no, we were both claimed years ago," I mentioned. "We ran away from home and found refuge with Chiron in New York."

"Chiron?" Bobby asked.

"A centaur."

He nodded but didn't seem to understand but didn't ask either.

"You mentioned meeting up with the Hunters of Diana, what happened?"

"They were supposed to lead me here, but we had a run-in with a hydra and got separated. I made my own way here," I explained.

"Oh, that'll score you serious points with Lupa. She'll want to evaluate you once you get to camp. Decide whether you're worthy enough to be one of her 'pups'."

"What happens if you're not _worthy_?" I asked.

"She eats you. But don't worry about it too much- she let me live, her standards must not be _that_ high," Bobby laughed. "It doesn't happen often."

I bit my lip nervously and watched the water, a little worried about what would happen once we got to their camp.

* * *

**Footnotes**:

*Look! Look! It's the fox!

** No! Stop, stupid children!

*** Forgive us all, goddess Nemesis

****We found nothing!

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it! Please write a review, I do read the reviews and take comments into consideration when trying to improve the story. **


	6. Touring the Roman Training Camp

The boat waded into a marina in a deep cove on an island's coast. The island was a bird sanctuary or was declared a bird sanctuary by the barbed-wire fences and signposts along the beach. Signs like that were decent enough deterrents for most people, the barbed wire and whatever else the Mist could do for this place must have worked pretty well.

Bobby tied up the boat in the marina. The marina had just about every type of boat I could think of, ranging from kayaks to row boats to motor boats to ski boats to sailboats to whopping, fifty-foot yachts. I gasped in awe when I saw the marina's real prize: a sail boat with a wooden hull, incredibly big, with long violet sails, and oars jutting out of its sides. Just looking at it, I knew what it was.

"Oh, my gods…" I whispered when I saw the name of it.

Bobby heard me and commented, "Yeah, I know, we restored it, also added a few high powered motors."

"But… It's The Argo, Jason's ship! The original one!" I gaped.

"Yep, that very one, the one that oddly enough killed Jason," Bobby laughed. "A friend of mine was also named Jason, he used to say that it gave him the creeps- wouldn't even go inside it!"

"It killed Jason?" I didn't remember that.

"Yeah, the hero Jason, not my buddy Jason, it was kind of anti-climactic I thought, Jason had all his adventures and after all that he died when a plank fell off his crumbling ship and hit him. I don't know, but I was pretty disappointed. We restored it so hopefully no more planks will fall off of it." I guess I hadn't heard that version of the story.

Luke watched Bobby and I chat; he didn't comment on anything but something told me he'd have quite a bit to say about everything and everyone later on.

"_Roberte!__Roberte_!" A little girl skipped towards Bobby and I, calling for Bobby, "_Missa__sum a__Guinevra. Dixit, 'Congressus est cras ut__de__novo__puero__dicatis'_,*" Even the little girl was speaking Latin- this was going to be a difficult week!

Bobby answered her with, "_Gratias__ago,__Spes_.**" The little girl skipped away with her brown hair flipping from side to side.

"Does everyone speak Latin?" I asked.

"Almost everyone," Bobby answered, "the little ones are supposed to only speak in Latin- just so they can learn the language, but they all know English too. What about you, how much can you speak?"

"Probably a whole lot less than the little ones can," I replied bluntly. "I started teaching myself it a few weeks ago, so I don't know much of it."

"It's alright, you'll pick it up fast," Bobby reassured. "Would you like a tour of camp? I can always take you to Lupa later on," Bobby said as though a tour was not part of the typical first day at camp.

I felt like asking who 'Lupa' was, but that was an idiotic question- so I didn't ask. I didn't know of any 'Lupa's' in any of the stories I'd heard. Perhaps it was a Roman name of some obscure deity or whatever, but I couldn't figure it out. I'd find out soon enough.

"Yeah, a tour would be great," I answered quickly- this could be a good chance to find Percy or really my only chance if Lupa decides I'm not 'worthy'. Bobby didn't ask Luke his preference, but I could bet Luke didn't want to meet Lupa either.

"Alright, we can start by seeing the cabins," Bobby took us a fair distance into the island on a stone path, "these are the cabins." The cabins were architecturally lovely, very simple in design, each built with bricks and most were about two or three stories tall. The cabins were very uniform- not at all like things were at Camp Half-Blood. Above the doors of the cabins was a symbol- the symbol was different on every cabin, each to do with a different god or goddess.

There was a small garden outside each cabin- even Mars's cabin had a garden in front of it- which was something you'd never see at Camp Half-Blood; not unless Clarisse suddenly found she had an unexpected love of horticulture.

"The Ceres cabin is in charge of keeping things nice and neat, they do a lot of the landscaping and maintenance around here," Bobby explained. "My cabin's in charge of art and music and the occasional organized sporting event. I got to plan the last _venatio_at the arena."

"Venatio?"

"Oh, a Roman word- beast fighting as a spectator sport," Bobby explained. "It was at the arena and everything. The arena is over _that_ way, just so you know."

I could see the arena beyond the roofs of the cabins, it was made of stone but looked about as old as Citi Field, with similar modern touches such as lighting. "Wow…" I whispered wishing I had seen this place before I was asked to be the Architect of Olympus.

"Come on, I'll show you the Forum, that's where most of the campers hangout anyway," Bobby ushered Luke and I along.

I knew that the Forum in Rome had been a marketplace- their forum wasn't so much of a market place but like a garden with a long field, which was probably usually green and lush but at this time of the year was yellow and dead from the cold. A couple of kids put together a picnic on the lawn, eating finger sandwiches with nymphs and even a few satyrs.

Immediately, my eyes searched for Percy. He wasn't there. My spirit sank, but he's got to be around here somewhere.

Anyway, the Forum was lovely, decorated with ruins, statues, and even some winter landscaping which I could assume was the handiwork of the Ceres cabin. It looked like the Forum had been decorated for Christmas, there were lights on tree and wreathes placed here and there. In one corner of the Forum, there was a small group of instrumentalists playing Christmas carols.

Across one of the columns was a banner reading "_Io Saturnalia_!"

"What's 'Io Saturnalia'?" Luke piped up and asked Bobby.

"It means 'Yay, Saturnalia!'" Bobby answered.

But Saturn is Cronus… "Wasn't Saturn the bad guy? Why would you celebrate him?" I wondered aloud.

"Um… no. There are no good guys or bad guys- in fact, Saturn ruled during the Golden Age of Rome so I'd say he's not perfect, but we like him an awful lot," Bobby debated.

"But he ate his children! He even tried to eat Zeu- Jupiter!" I caught myself before I said Zeus rather than Jupiter.

"So?" Bobby shrugged. "I like Saturnalia. It's another holiday we celebrate along with Christmas. We decorate trees and sing and have parties."

"That sounds a lot like Christmas," Luke added.

"The Vatican borrowed a few ideas, but still, it's a good time. I hope you'll be staying through Saturnalia," Bobby looked at me, clearly this message was not for Luke.

At the far end of the Forum was a flight of stairs leading up to an enormous building that looked a little like the Pantheon, with the same Corinthian columns out in front of it.

"That's the Temple, you can go there later. We won't go in there now- not on a tour anyway. The temple is a place for prayer and sacrifice and only prayer and sacrifice unless we intend to worship in other ways like painting, sculpting, weaving, etcetera. It's not for tours," Bobby explained. It was weird to see such respect for the gods. Back at Camp Half-Blood we'd be more likely to curse off our parents than go ahead and actually worship them. "But anyway, let's move on the Dining Hall. It's really not much of a 'hall', we just call it that."

Bobby lead us from the Forum to another field. This field was full of tables sheltered by cloth canopies. The area was kept warm with space heaters placed here and there, which was almost enough to make you believe you were inside. When we saw it, the Dining Hall was empty- not a soul in sight.

"Where is everyone?" I asked Bobby.

"Well, there were a few in the Forum, a good many campers are likely in the Temple, a few might be up by Lupa's cave, and actually, there is going to be a battle reenactment later on, so I'd bet a lot of campers are over in the stadium setting up for that," Bobby explained.

"A battle reenactment?" I asked excitedly, that was something I would love to see.

"A naval battle reenactment, that's why I'd assume there are a lot of campers working on that- they have to fill the stadium floor with water for the boats to float," Bobby explained.

My eyes lit up. A naval battle! This camp is awesome!

Then, I came to my senses- Percy might be there!

Seaweed Brain and a naval battle reenactment… this camp is awesome!

**

* * *

Footnotes:**

*_Bobby! Bobby!... I was sent by Gwendolyn. She said, 'The meeting is tomorrow so that you can talk about the new boy'._

_** Thank you, Hope_.

**

* * *

**

_**Hope you liked it! Please write a review!**_

_**And additional note: I drew a map of Legion Camp- it's posted as a link my Profile page if you'd like to see it.**_


	7. Lupa, Percy, and a Battle Reenactment

"Alright, then. I can't go past this point. Lupa's cave is just up the hill. Stand in the entrance of the cave- don't go inside, she doesn't like that, she has to decide whether or not you're a _pup_ of hers," Bobby explained to Luke and I. "Oh, and Annabeth, once your meeting with Lupa is done, I was thinking of going over to the arena, I can save a seat for you if you're interested in coming," Bobby added.

"That all is of course if Lupa decides that I'm _worthy_," I muttered.

"Don't stress over it, I'm sure you are," Bobby smiled.

"Thanks, in that case, please save a seat for me- a battle reenactment sounds like fun. Oh, and save a seat for Luke too, I'm sure he'd like to come," I answered, still a little stressed about meeting 'Lupa', whatever she was. Either way, Luke and I headed up the hill.

We reached the cave and stood in its entrance. The cave was little more than a gaping hole in the side of the hill. A gust of wind blew from the cave like some monstrous breath.

Luke and I stood our ground; Lupa was coming.

From the mouth of the cave emerged an enormous wolf, her teeth were bared and her head was lowered to meet our eye-level. That was when things started getting strange. Lupa was a giant wolf; she also didn't speak, but we knew what she was saying as though our thoughts and feelings were being screamed out. Lupa paced silently, circling us. Every one of her footsteps seemed to tell me something new.

Lupa was whispering, "_New children, either pups or food, either pups or food. They cower, yet make no move."_ It was an examination- I breathed heavily as the wolf watched. She seemed to see more than I could.

"_Annabeth Chase, daughter of Minerva, from New York, so I hear… brave, perhaps… strong and clever enough to make it here on your own. And Luke, Luke Castellan, son of Mercury, who drove a boat into the rocks at the request of a friend. Undoubtedly reckless, perhaps even stupid, but loyal. Something that has served Rome well in the past." _Lupa's teeth were still bared but it seemed more that she was almost grinning at us as though she hadn't found promising demigods in quite a while.

She slipped back into her cave with the clear message, "_You are pups for now, so you had better not do anything to change that."_

Yes! I sighed with relief. Luke also smiled- we had made it! With that, we rushed down the hill and away from Lupa and her cave. I looked to Luke thinking he might say something about Lupa- he didn't, Lupa seemed to be a creature that demanded respect more so out of fear than love, but either way, he didn't say anything.

"Do you want to head over to the arena?" I asked Luke, knowing either way I would be going.

"No," Luke answered. "I don't, but you do, and that 'Bobby' kid is saving you a seat, so let's go."

"Thank you, Luke!" I ran to him and hugged him. I held his hand as we walked towards the arena. He always was the big brother I'd never had.

"Now about Bobby-" Luke started. Ugh! I knew this was coming, "I don't like him- just a vibe, I don't know, I'm not so sure of anyone who appreciates Cronus- think what you want, but still…"

"A bad vibe? Really? I thought he seemed nice."

"I don't know, it's probably just because we met him shortly after his little team of archers fired at us."

"Probably," I laughed.

We made it to the arena- it wasn't hard to find. The arena had to be four stories tall, decorated with columns like the Coliseum, but otherwise looked like a baseball stadium. Luke and I found our way in and out into the stands.

To my surprise, though the stadium was enormous, there couldn't have been more than fifty campers, the other seats were filled by nymphs, a couple centaurs, a herd of fauns (Roman satyrs), a flock of harpies, and to my surprise a few of the venti, who cheered loudly as they watched. What they were watching was almost as unbelievable as the audience. In the middle of the arena was a pool with two enormous sail boats battling it out with Greek fire flying every which way. Arrows flew through the air. Campers pretending to be captains shouted out orders through the ruckus of swords clashing and the splashes of crew members falling into the water.

Through the noise, I heard, "Annabeth!"

Percy? No, of course not. I flipped my head around. "Bobby," I pulled Luke into the stands, "thanks for saving us seats." I sat down between Luke and Bobby, wishing I could watch the show, but Percy should be here. My eyes would fall from the scene of sinking ships out into the audience, looking through the faces. I saw a faun cheering so animatedly, he slipped and fell back into his seat hitting his head against the chair. Then, I spotted a harpy licking the cotton candy out of her feathers – not a pretty sight let me tell you. I saw a few little campers all in awe of the ship set ablaze and slowly sinking as the Captain shouted the last of his commands. Then I found a pair of green eyes on me. They were watching me and only me.

My heart jumped. _Percy!_

He was smiling, talking to the kid next to him- but his eyes never left me. I smiled back at him. Perhaps things were better than I thought they'd be.

He gave a bashful wave that I swear made my heart skip a beat. The rest of the battle reenactment was a blur going somewhere along the lines of someone pretending to die dramatically and a great ship sinking into the pool.

Towards the end, Bobby started telling Luke and I about our cabins, and honestly I didn't catch a word of it.

"Annabeth? Are you listening?" Luke boomed, bringing me back to the real world.

"Wh-what?" I stuttered. "No… actually, will you excuse me?" I got up and left down the side isle.

"Annabeth, wait up!" Bobby called after.

I guess the battle reenactment had ended as just about everyone else was leaving the arena. I was nearly trampled by the herd of fauns making their way out. I found Percy among the crowd- standing by himself.

I ran to him and kissed him. A bit over-dramatic, you bet. But do I care? Most definitely not.

Percy pulled away. Grinning, he asked, "Have we met before?"

* * *

**Not as great as I had hoped but you get the point.**

**Anyway, please write a review! Thank you!**


	8. Missing Memories and Future Peril

Damn it! I hated being right.

"Annabeth! _Wow_, what was _that_?" Bobby asked catching up to me. Luke, who was only paces behind him, giggled smugly to himself.

Percy shot me another goofy grin, and whispered, "Nice to meet you, Annabeth. My name's Percy, by the way."

"Yeah… I know that…" I muttered. "I guess you don't remember me…" I bit my lip, blushing, incredibly embarrassed.

Bobby stepped in and reiterated, "What was _that_?"

Percy shrugged and smiled.

Well this was awkward… "Percy, you don't remember this but, I'm kind of your girlfriend," I said quietly. I was bad at explaining stuff like this- emotional stuff. I'd rather just not talk about it. I hated emotions- they had no rhyme or reason and could cause just about anything.

"Girlfriend?" Bobby butted in. "Did you know about that, Percy?"

"No, not really, but I'm more than willing to play along," Percy muttered to Bobby. Then, he turned to me, "I've been a little forgetful lately. There was this whole incident where I woke up one day and had no idea where I was or what was going on. Things are better now though, pretty much better anyway, still a couple things I can't remember- like this." He smiled trying to make up for not remembering. This wouldn't be so difficult, I guess- at least Percy knew he had amnesia and at this point seemed willing enough to hear out just about anyone's ideas.

That made me feel a little better- at least he _wanted_ to remember me. I gritted my teeth, trying to think of something to do about this.

Percy then turned to Luke, "What about you? Are you someone I should know too?"

"I should say so, you've fought me a few times, even helped me commit suicide and defeat Cronus," Luke smiled knowing very well Percy would believe none of this.

"Really?" Percy wasn't buying it. He glanced over at me for an opinion.

"Just ignore him for now." Then I remembered the photo of us in my jacket pocket. I pulled it out- perhaps that might help. "Percy, here. This is a picture from over the summer... Chiron took it." I held it out in front of him- he looked over the photo- the one with both of us grinning, truly happy. "Back in New York, at camp... Ring any bells?"

Percy cocked his head, looking at the picture curiously, "That's definitely me and you... I- I just don't remember any of this."

I lowered my head and bit my lip- I had expected this to happen, prepare myself for this moment over and over again in my mind. I wouldn't cry- I'd look ridiculous crying now- so I took a deep breath and said, "I'm sure your memories will come back soon enough- Jason's were starting to when I left," I muttered casting Luke a furious glare as though to say '_you're not helping!_''

"Jason? You know a _Jason _who also lost his memory?" Bobby changed the topic.

"Yeah, Jason Grace- it was because of him that I even knew about this camp," I muttered still frustrated.

"Really? Where is he? We've been looking for him!" Bobby jumped.

"He's in New York, with Chiron… he and a few of his friends are preparing for the war with Gaea," I explained trying to keep Camp Half-Blood out of it.

Bobby nodded as though he understood, "Lupa was informed of the coming war months ago, the Legion has also been preparing for it."

"The Legion?" Luke asked unfamiliar with the term.

"I can explain later- it's nearly ten o'clock and we can't be out past curfew. I should show you both your cabins and help you settle in for the night," Bobby finished.

I agreed half-heartedly. Luke and Bobby didn't wait for me to start walking towards the cabins. I forced a smile for Percy and said, "I guess this means goodnight, Seaweed Brain. Hope your memory improves." With that said, I turned and ran to catch up with Luke and Bobby.

I didn't have to look back at him to know he had watched me leave, perhaps something triggered a memory. I hoped, but I doubt it did.

Bobby dropped Luke off at the Mercury Cabin first to have another camper show him around.

"Goodnight, Luke," I whispered still upset about Percy.

"See you tomorrow, Annabeth," Luke answered quickly as he was ushered inside.

Bobby continued to lead me through the rows of other cabins. "So… How do you know Percy?" Bobby asked.

"We met a few years ago in New York, went on a couple of quests together… that kind of thing," I didn't want to get into specifics.

"Oh," Bobby responded, asking no further questions.

"I was wondering- you mentioned before that there was a Roman Legion. What is it?" I asked.

"Our legion is pretty much our army- that's basically it. Everyone at this camp is expected to join the Legion one day or already is a part of it. Most of us train for years- while we're young. Then, when Lupa says we're ready, we're tested- succeed in the test and you get a laurel wreath, a wooden sword (because it's traditional), and the Legion's tattoo; if you fail, that's another story. If you fail the test, then only a judge can decide what will happen," Bobby explained.

"A tattoo? I think I've seen it- black lines, S.P.Q.R., and an eagle- right?" I asked.

"That was Jason's- he was the only one with the eagle. Mine is a little different," Bobby added rolling up one of his sleeves to show me. His tattoo had eight black lines, the same S.P.Q.R. but instead of an eagle, a raven for Phoebus Apollo was inked into his skin. "Eight lines for eight years of camp and S.P.Q.R. to show I'm part of the Roman Legion."

"What's the test?" I asked Bobby.

"The test is a fight…. A gladiator fight. Lupa comes out for it, and a guest judge is present- usually some minor god. In ancient times, gladiator fights used to be a way of receiving freedom- here, it's more of a way to achieve acceptance, eventually glory and recognition from the gods. It's pretty much a rite of passage and you really can't make much of yourself unless you win the fight or at least lose honorably," Bobby tried describing it. "We can work on training for that tomorrow, if you'd like to."

"Wait- I have to do this?" I asked nervously.

"…Yeah, everyone here does -eventually," Bobby replied as we came to the door of the Minerva Cabin. "Okay, this is it. I'll meet you here first thing tomorrow morning to start your training, but for now, sweet dreams, Annabeth!" Bobby waved goodbye before heading off to his cabin.

"Bye!" I called after before opening the cabin door.

The Minerva Cabin was different than I thought it would be. Inside, in the center of the room was an enormous table, covered entirely by a map of the world. A girl- I guess had to be my half-sister, stood behind the table placing figurines strategically here and there.

Beyond the table, I saw the walls were covered over entirely with chalk boards. All of the boards were covered with equations- in one corner, there was a boy, my half-brother, working away at one of the equations.

"Toby, what are the coordinates?" the girl called.

The boy answered with, "Thirty-seven degrees North and one hundred and twenty-two degrees West."

"Hello?" I interrupted as I stepped inside.

The girl looked over at me. She had light brown hair and green eyes; she took a minute as though deciding whether or not we would get along before saying, "Hi! You must be Annabeth, Bobby mentioned you would be coming earlier. Nice to meet you, my name's Hazel and this is Toby," she pointed to the boy working on equations. Toby turned and waved before going back to work. "What do you think of the cabin?"

"Everything's very focused on battle, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah, well, there is a war coming up, so this is our cabin's busiest time- preparation and planning for the war," Hazel explained, "a few months ago, all of these boards were covered in plans to build a new bridge- we had to set that aside for now."

That made some sense- I would have loved to see this place before everyone knew there would be war. "I like it," I decided, answering Hazel's question.

"Great," Hazel cheered. "I should show you upstairs too."

Off to one side of the room, there was a black spiral staircase, leading to the second floor. Hazel lead me steered me up the stairs.

The second floor seemed more like a library, with most of the walls covered in bookshelves. A few beds were lined up neatly between rows of bookshelves in the middle of the room. I could really get used to a room like this, I decided immediately.

Hazel showed me the room quietly, explaining, "There's only been three of us in this cabin for a while- me, Toby, and Hope. Fortunately, we've always kept a few extra beds out just in case- most of the cabins have a lot more trainees in them."

I glanced between the rows of books, and found an unmade bed, with a few open books lying in it. At the foot of the bed was a wooden sword, and above it- a shield with an owl painted on it.

"That's my bed," Hazel mentioned.

"That's funny because it looks a lot like the way I'd left mine back at home," I laughed.

The bed in the next row was Hope's, Hazel explained to me. Hazel told me that Hope was only a little girl, just seven years old, and already asleep so we just crept past her. Beyond her row, the bed was made and neat as though nobody had slept in it for years.

"This can be your bed," Hazel decided. "You'd best get some rest- I heard Bobby say something about how he wanted to help train you, so you'll have a tough day tomorrow, anyway... goodnight!" Hazel headed off, back down the spiral staircase, probably to continue working on war strategies and such.

I put my belongings aside- those were the few things I had brought for the trip such as a change of clothes, my Yankees cap, Daedalus's laptop, and my knife.

Once the 'unpacking' was finished, I took Hazel's advice and flopped onto my bed and quickly fell asleep. I had found Percy- but I guess work isn't done, since Percy doesn't remember who I am and I am now expected to join the Legion. Ugh- I can tell tomorrow is going to be a_ long _day.

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**Weird chapter- I know. Please write a review- things will be more normal in the next chapter. Thank you!**


	9. Training Begins

I got up at dawn the next morning- the sky was still dark, but I couldn't sleep. I shuttered in the dark, sitting at the foot of my bed in the Minerva cabin, suddenly feeling very much alone. It was like I was back in that tent after Artemis and her hunters left. Stuck in some impenetrable solitude like those nights where I'd cry myself to sleep. Percy was a stranger and my friends- those who remembered me, that is, were hundreds of miles away. And then there was Luke- at least I had him- but even he was across the way, off in the Mercury cabin.

I refused to brood over this any longer, so I worked on new plans. My plans for now: get Percy to remember me, and then figure out a way to get him back to Camp Half-Blood to prepare for the trip to Greece. I'll start with getting Percy to remember me- he'd been acting weird yesterday- but then again, if I had been stuck at some strange camp with amnesia, I'd probably act differently too.

I'd have to find time to catch up with Percy, especially since Bobby already made plans for training. Ooh, that reminds me- what time did he say he'd get here?

Of course then, so inconveniently, there was a knock on the door. I shoved my Yankees cap into my pocket. I quickly threw on a new t-shirt, made sure it wasn't my orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, ran a brush through my hair, grabbed my knife (I wouldn't go anywhere without it), and hurried down the spiral staircase to answer the door.

I opened the door to find Bobby waiting.

"Morning, Annabeth," Bobby cheered- obviously a morning person. "Are you ready? First, we're going to get you all suited up- pick out armor for you, and a weapon-"

"A weapon?" I interrupted. "I have a knife of celestial bronze- do I need anything else."

"Just a knife? I'd say you're better off with a sword or at least a bow and arrow," Bobby commented, "just a personal preference though."

Bobby lead me down near the arena to shed that he referred to as "The Armory." The Armory was full of weapons, shields- all were for the most part discarded belongings that you could tell most people just didn't want. There were a few dusty swords and several bent up shields.

"For training- and for the test- you should have a sword, even if you don't intend to use it," Bobby advised. "Look through these- you might actually find one you like." Bobby paused to pick through the swords, "What about this one?" He raised one up. It was made with celestial bronze with laurel leaves engraved into the hilt and crossguard.

I shook my head; it wasn't my style. Normally, I'll take just about any weapon and just be done with it, but on that day- it was early, it was winter, I was miserable, delaying training for an hour or so, seemed wonderful, so I put up a fuss.

"What about this one, then?" Bobby showed me another sword- this one was gold, like Jason's sword.

"What is made of? I thought celestial bronze was a demigods' only option."

"No, this one's made from Imperial gold- you like it then?" Bobby asked, eager just to move on.

"Imperial gold?"

"Yeah, same basic thing as celestial bronze, but it's gold and more expensive," Bobby summed it up impatiently. "Do you want it?"

"No, that sword is a little overdramatic, don't you think?" I thought.

"Overdramatic? We're talking about a sword."

"It's a little flashy, though right?" I continued questioning.

"I don't know- I thought it was a good sword," Bobby was incredibly bored listening to me go on about the sword, I could tell. I decided to spare him the argument this time. Bobby wanted to start training.

"Fine, I'll take it- the overdramatic and flashy, golden sword," I sighed.

"Great! Let's suit you up with armor then," Bobby moved on to another wall of the Armory. This wall was lined with shelves, each with armor of different sizes and materials. Almost immediately, I laid eyes on something I just had to have- it was a simple bronze helmet- likely celestial bronze. I picked it up and tried it on for size.

"What do you think?" I asked Bobby, although either answer wouldn't have changed my mind.

"Looks great," Bobby didn't care. "That helmet goes with additional armor- we can grab that for you to wear later," Bobby added.

I took off the helmet and held it under my arm. It reminded me vaguely of the one my mother wears- perhaps that's why I wanted it.

"Are we finished here?" Bobby asked himself, looking over the other things and weapons just lying around. "I think so," he told himself, leading me outside. Beyond the Armory, there was a field- barren and desolate- not even grass grew on this field. "Our very own Campus Martius. What do you think?" Bobby asked.

"Isn't Campus Martius an area in Rome?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's what the original one became- ours is traditional. It's the Field of Mars maintained by the Mars Cabin."

"I guess that explains the lack of vegetation."

Bobby shrugged, "We only really use it to train."

I looked at Bobby- he had been so eager to begin before, now, I wasn't so sure.

"Now what?" I asked only to get an answer.

"Now,_ he_ should be here and he isn't. We can't start anything unless people are here on time," Bobby snapped.

We stood around in the dusty field for some time in silence before anyone else showed up. Apparently, Bobby had no tolerance for tardiness. Eventually a boy did show up. He was roughly around Bobby's age and wore the camp's purple t-shirt. He had dark hair and a scar just above his right eyebrow. Somehow, he seemed vaguely familiar, as though I'd seen him somewhere else.

"Dakota! You're ten minutes late!" Bobby scolded.

"Gee… What did you expect when you gave me the time according the position of the sun?" The boy defended himself.

"I expected you to be here ten minutes ago, that's what!" Bobby growled.

"_Promisc__uus facinus filii Pheobi_*," Dakota muttered to himself.

"Alright, then, Annabeth- I thought we should begin with a demonstration, so I can see what we have to work with. I asked Dakota to come so we can have a little mock-fight." Dakota then pulled out a celestial bronze sword. "Now, Annabeth, use whatever techniques you want to in order to disarm your opponent. Dakota, same rules for you and also another rule, no bloodshed."

Immediately, I decided that there were two ways for me to do this- the easy way and the hard way, with the hard way being that I actually go up to my opponent and fight him, which strategically made little sense. So I went with the easy way, the way that made sense- made my mother proud. I pulled out my Yankees cap, slipped it over my head, and disappeared.

Once Dakota couldn't see me, he began waving his sword around like madman, worried I might strike. I dodged the sweep of his sword, and whipped out my knife. It was at about that point that I dropped my Yankees cap and held the dull edge of my knife to Dakota's throat. Dakota shuttered as though he thought I was some kind of ghost and dropped his sword into the dirt.

"I win," I whispered, putting my knife back into its sheath.

"No fair, I want a rematch- no invisibility this time!" Dakota barked.

"Dakota, chill, Annabeth followed the rules, you lost. Get over it," Bobby responded. "Anyway, it seems there are a few things we can work on- I guess you're good with strategy. I would like to actually _see_ you fight, though. How about we work on archery next?"

Dakota sulked for a moment, but volunteered to assist in my archery training.

"Dakota, prepare the targets," Bobby ordered. Dakota followed the orders but didn't seem happy about it. He set up two standing targets- both at about my eye level- the first about twenty meters away, the second further. Bobby handed me a bow and a quiver full of arrows. "Try to hit the targets if you can, if you can't we'll work on it," he said.

I took the bow and pulled an arrow from the quiver. I pulled the arrow, preparing to fire. I released it and the arrow shot through the air, hitting the first target, dead center.

"Wow, you've done this before?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah- at summer camp, a few times."

"Wow... what kind of summer camp teaches you to shoot like that?" Bobby continued.

I just smiled and grabbed another arrow for the second target. This time the arrow hit slightly off the bull's-eye.

"That time, your aim was off. Only slightly off. Don't worry about it, even experienced archers have a tough time hitting that target," Bobby explained.

"Hey… Bobby?" Dakota interrupted. "What time is that meeting today?"

Bobby looked up at the sky before responding, "Shoot! We're going to be late!"

"Oh, well, _tempus fugit_," Dakota laughed.

Bobby turned to me, "We have to go, there's a meeting for the Legion praetors- so, sorry Annabeth, you can't come, but we can meet up with you once the meeting's over to resume training."

I nodded almost wishing I could go to the meeting and hear what seemed so important; this certainly wasn't Camp Half-Blood. I'm not important anymore, just some insignificant camper here. I had to remind myself, being insignificant did have its perks. Perhaps the Dining hall was still serving breakfast.

* * *

The fauns had made French toast.

The tables in the dining hall didn't seem to be specifically for any one cabin, so I picked a random table, sat down, and began eating breakfast.

"You look familiar," a voice said.

I looked up to find Percy, who took a seat across from me.

"No, duh, Seaweed Brain, we met yesterday," I replied not quite sure of how I felt talking to him again.

"My memory is not _that_ bad." Percy continued, "That's what I thought yesterday- when I saw you. You look really familiar- like I should know you, but I-I just don't. Then I caught you staring at me and thought, maybe we have met before, so I waved. And apparently, you _think_ you know me a lot better than I would have thought."

"So now, I_ think_ I know you? I know you- we've been best friends for five years, I can prove I know you," I tried.

"Proof? I would _love_ to hear what you come up with," he didn't believe me, but I could change that.

"Alright, first of all, your sword, _Riptide_, made of celestial bronze, was a gift from Chiron- you probably don't remember getting it, but I can bet it's capped as a pen in your pocket."

"What else?" Percy asked curiously as he pulled _Riptide_ from his pocket. I couldn't tell if he believe me.

"The gray streaks in your hair- they're from a quest you went on. You were on a quest to rescue me and we ended up taking on the burden of Atlas by lifting up the sky- that's what caused the gray streaks in your hair- that's also why there are gray streaks in my hair too," I explained as best I could.

I guess that wasn't very convincing, so I went on to say, "Your favorite color is blue, you can talk to horses, and you're the son of Poseidon-"

"Don't you mean Neptune?" Percy interrupted.

"No, I mean Poseidon- we're Greek demigods, from the Greek camp- Camp Half-Blood-"

"…Oh," Percy was thinking, considering everything I said. "Did I ever have an orange shirt that said 'Camp Half-Blood'? I remember wearing one… A friend of mine had one too, that's just weird though- I want to say he was a faun. What was his name? Garry?"

I shook my head, excitedly, "Grover?"

"Grover… Yeah, Grover, and he _was _a faun, right?" Percy asked.

"A satyr, actually," I corrected, incredibly excited that he was suddenly remembering things. "Do you remember me now?"

Percy stared at me blankly, "…No. Vaguely. I guess I believe you though, I remember Grover, Camp Half-Blood, orange t-shirts, and… you said I can talk to horses? I think I can remember some incident like that."

"You'll remember me soon enough," I grinned.

Then suddenly from several tables away, I heard, "_Filia Minervae_!" Oh, that's me- I was beginning to catch on. A girl in a purple t-shirt, with light brown hair, pulled back into braids, stormed in towards me. "_Estne veritas-**_"

"I don't speak Latin," I interrupted.

The girl continued her line of though in English, "you know Jason?"

"Jason Grace- yes, we've met before," I replied. I noticed then that Bobby came running behind her.

"Really? Where? When? Was he okay- he wasn't hurt, was he? That's the only reason I can think of to why no one has heard from him in months," the girl worried.

"Yes, I met him back in New York, he's found refuge with Chiron, the centaur. He's not hurt- or anything like that. He has amnesia. When I left he was beginning to get his memory back. To why you haven't heard from him- I'd say he either has no idea who you are or has gotten busy preparing for war," I responded bluntly.

"Oh... Forgot me?" The girl choked.

"Reyna- don't take it like that, he's probably as bad off as Percy," Bobby tried to comfort the girl. "Percy didn't even remember he had a girlfriend."

"And he still doesn't!" I pouted.

"I-I'm trying! I really am," Percy defended.

"See? Don't worry so much Reyna-"

"Don't worry? How can I not? You keep saying that Jason and I will end up like _them_!" Reyna was nearly in tears.

_Like us? _Are Percy and I really that bad off? I thought we were making progress. Anyway, I think just about then would have been a bad time to bring up Piper- Jason's possibly new girlfriend- I didn't know the exact status of that relationship, so I kept quiet.

Bobby turned to another girl nearby, "Gwendolyn, help Reyna, would you?"

The other girl nodded and coaxed Reyna away, and out of the Dining Hall.

"Annabeth, are you ready to go back to training?" Bobby asked.

I rolled my eyes- I had just started making some real progress with Percy! "Fine," I grumbled.

"I'll join you," Percy piped up. "Besides, I've only just started training too." I smiled- felt like cheering but left it at that.

"Okay, but I should warn you, we haven't even started on sword fighting, and only just began archery," Bobby tried to talk him out of it.

"I'll come." Percy decided, clearly not going to change his mind.

* * *

Back at the Campus Martius, Dakota came prepared with a sword. Time to work on combat. Bobby helped me strap on my armor. I dropped my helmet over my head and turned to Percy.

"Good luck!" Percy cheered.

"Are you ready?" Bobby asked me.

I nodded.

"And you, Dakota?"

He grinned and nodded, this was his favorite game.

"Same rules as last time- no bloodshed. Now, begin!" Bobby set us off.

Immediately, Dakota swung his sword at me. I jumped back and managed to block his second swing. Things went on like that for a while- with me jumping back from Dakota's attacks or blocking them as best I could. Dakota was a strong opponent- obviously a good sword fighter as well.

With one last, incredibly strong, blow, he knocked my sword from my grip.

"I win this time, baby!" Dakota proclaimed.

"We'll have to work on that," Bobby said.

"Good try, Annabeth," Percy helped.

"It was a lot easier when I had my Yankees cap," I muttered.

"Also incredibly unfair," Dakota responded, "I won fairly, this time. That reminds me…" Dakota looked up at the sky and whispered, "_Gratias__ ago, Nemesis_!"

"Why are you praying to Nemesis?" I changed the subject.

"Why not? She brought justice- I won and you lost, that's how it should be- so I say 'thank-you' as any good demigod does," Dakota explained.

"Some justice- I lost," I muttered. Dakota didn't reply.

"Don't worry about it, Annabeth," Percy comforted, "I can help you, give you a few pointers, it turns out I'm actually pretty good at sword fighting."

"Percy, I know- one of the best, you forget, I know you."

For the next few hours, Percy taught me sword fighting- just a few tips and pointers, a lot of it was stuff I already knew. I didn't care, all I knew it was the best few hours I'd spent in months.

* * *

Footnotes:

_* Typical move of a son of Apollo_

_** Is it true-_

* * *

**A little longer than usual- hope you like it! Please write a review and tell me what you think! Thank you!**


	10. The Temple

Our sword clanked and clashed, I struck and Percy blocked.

"Good! You're getting a better," Percy encouraged. I'm sure I was improving a little- but Percy was going easy on me, I could tell. I stepped up my game- swung a little harder.

Percy wasn't prepared and my sword knocked Riptide from his grip, sliced through his sleeves, and cut into his arms- or should have anyway.

My sword bounced off his skin and fell to the ground.

I took a step back, "I'm sorry Percy!" I said quickly. I knew it didn't hurt him, but still…

Percy stopped, looked down at his arms- probably thinking, there should have been blood. "Wow…"

"I'm sorry…" I whispered.

"Don't apologize, I'm fine, do you know anything about this?" Percy asked.

I nodded and searched around, wary of wandering eyes. We were alone. "That's what happens when you bathe in the River Styx," I explained.

"What?"

"You're invincible- except for your Achilles heel."

"Wait- what? Invincible? As in, I'm invincible unless someone shoots me in the heel?" Percy asked not quite getting it.

"Sort of- that was the case for Achilles. You picked your Achilles heel to be the small of your back- don't tell people that though, you took a risk even telling me. But I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who knows," I tried explaining.

"Wow… This is strange…" Percy thought aloud. Percy held out Riptide, letting his fingers touch the edge of the blade, expecting his fingers to bleed- but never did. "This is a lot to take in… I- I think I need to go to the Temple for a while…"

What the heck? "The Temple?" I asked, astounded he'd turn there first- had he changed that much since he lost his memory?

"That's just what people do here, when we need help, we go to the Temple, talk to our parent, or worship or whatever- but it's not always for help, a lot of the time we all just go. The gods appreciate it," Percy said.

That was weird- this camp actually did things like worship and pray regularly. If you ever saw anyone at Camp Half-Blood doing that you knew they must be desperate.

"Do the gods actually answer you? I had heard that Olympus was closed and the gods won't even talk to the Greek demigods anymore," I added.

"Not always- usually the gods won't talk to us, but they listen and there are other ways for them to help us indirectly," Percy replied.

"How do they help indirectly?"

"We get an allowance- some of us do anyway… usually just enough to steer us towards the gods' ideas," Percy told.

"Allowance?" The idea seemed so bizarre. "Like actual cash?"

"Yeah, a couple bucks for whatever we need- I don't get very much, being the son of Neptune, I usually don't need anything; but the Apollo cabin gets some money from Phoebus Apollo to buy art supplies, the Venus cabin needs money to keep up with the latest fashion trends, and the Ceres cabin for gardening tools and so on," Percy explained.

I was almost jealous. At Camp Half-Blood, we never got an allowance for doing the things we were good at- it would really come in handy for a few of my projects over the years…

"Anyway… I think I'd better go," Percy said capping Riptide and heading off from the Campus Martius.

"Wait! I'll go with you!" I called out.

"Sure," Percy shrugged, letting me tag along.

* * *

The Temple was a circular building, lit by candlelight and circular hole in the ceiling, the oculus. Stepping inside, I stood for a moment- amazed. It was like the Pantheon, a circular dome. It had stone floors and an alcove for every god.

Percy walked through without hesitation, going directly to Neptune's alcove- decorated with blue mosaic tiles and an enormous marble statue resembling the god.

I started walking through the Temple. I passed the Apollo alcove- with three or four campers from the Apollo Cabin working on murals.

"They're always doing that," a voice whispered.

I glanced over, Hazel appeared at my side.

"When their finished- another camper is just going to come along and paint over under the guise that they were inspired by some muse or another," Hazel went on telling about the Apollo cabin kids. "By the way, the Minerva shrine is over this way," Hazel pointed to an alcove with a white, marble statue of Minerva.

We headed over that way and Hazel took a seat, cross-legged on the ground. She rolled out a long sheet of graph paper and began drawing what looked like a map. I went down on my knees, looking over her shoulder to see what she was doing.

"We need to work on arming our little island and preparing for war, so I've been trying to figure out what else to add for a better defense," Hazel explained. "We have a Charybdis guarding the northern point of the island, a pack of hellhounds defending the eastern beaches, there are high cliffs along the southern shores- not even our own ships can dock along there- but I'm missing something…" Hazel scoured over her plans.

Just then, I watched Hazel's pencil drift away, rolling over the stone floor. I grabbed it to find another hand tugging back. I looked up- it was _some_ kid in a purple shirt.

"Just let 'um have it. _Filii Mercurii_, stealing in honor of their father," Hazel explained. I thought, Mercury, who is Hermes, messenger god and god of thieves. Reminded me of the Stoll brothers and their mischief. I looked over at the Mercury shrine- apparently stealing was something they did often. In front of the marble statue of Mercury was an enormous mound of stuff- papers, pencils, drawings, jewelry, a couple home-made weapons, all undoubtedly stolen off of other shrines.

That reminds me… I hadn't seen Luke in a while… I decided I'd have to find him once I got out of the Temple.

"Hazel, have you considered putting a lookout's posts along the eastern and western shores, a look-out with a team of archers might be sufficient defense for whatever the Mist doesn't cover," I offered.

"Hmm… I hadn't thought of that, but that should work for now. Eventually I would like to enlist a team of harpies to guard the western shore, but it might take awhile to corral in enough of them," Hazel pulled another pencil from her pocket and began jotting down additional notes and diagrams based on my ideas.

"Hazel, I think should go-"

"Oh, no problem, thanks for your help, Annabeth," Hazel waved goodbye. I stood up and began heading out. Poor Luke must be miserable- I hadn't seen him all day. I crossed the stone floor, towards the door, and stopped for moment before leaving to glance over at Percy- still at Neptune's alcove, praying or reflecting or whatever he was doing. I sighed, wishing more than anything that things would go back to the way they should have been- that Percy would just remember me…

* * *

**Shorter, but hope you like it- please write a review! I would love to hear thoughts and opinions, they really help me when writing the next chapter. Thank you!**


	11. Enchiladas and Tangled Webs

I found Luke out in the Forum, standing by himself, shaking.

"Luke? What's wrong?" I asked immediately.

"A lot is wrong…" Luke whispered furiously.

I looked at him curiously. He was breathing slowly, but shivering- as though he'd seen a ghost. "Tell me, Luke, you have to tell me. I can help!" I offered.

"I-I don't know, Annabeth… I don't like this place… They make you worship your parent- I don't even like my father; they're going to celebrate Cronus _all day_tomorrow- don't even get me started on that; and- and because of Percy Jackson, I haven't even seen you…" Luke whispered.

I grabbed Luke's hands; he stopped shivering. "I'm sorry, Luke… I don't know what to tell you… It's been an adjustment for me too. It's been really tough."

Luke took a breath and listened.

"As it is, I spent hours with Percy and he still has no idea who I am. I don't like this Roman Camp either. Everyone speaks Latin all the time and it's giving me a headache. The praying is weird too. It must be a Roman thing- Percy's under the impression that it's something that everyone has to do- so what do you know, he's still in there, praying about- gods know what," I told Luke.

Luke exhaled and laughed a little. He squeezed my hand, glad to know he wasn't alone.

"Do you want to go get something to eat? Someone told me the satyrs- I mean, fauns -are making enchiladas tonight," Luke asked.

I shrugged, "Sure." That sounded like more fun than waiting around for Percy to leave the Temple.

Luke and I headed down to the Dining Hall, arriving just as the fauns finished bringing out bowls of black olives, cheeses, and tomato sauce. Luke and I took a seat at one of the tables as the enchiladas weren't out yet.

"So, what did you do all day?" I asked Luke.

"Oh, nothing to eventful, a couple of campers tested me with dragon's teeth-"

"Ouch," I knew what that meant, but it seemed Luke hadn't.

"So, a couple of Aries- I mean- Mars kids came up to me, telling me they're from the Ceres cabin and kept asking me to help them with their gardening, and they're just little kids, and you weren't around, so I decided to help them- thinking it was the right thing to do. They gave me this bag of seeds which, I thought were just normal seeds- but they weren't. Turns out they were dragon teeth."

I laughed.

"But, I'm not done yet. As soon as I planted them- they sprouted into armed soldiers, all of which immediately decided to attack me. Lucky for me, I found a stick and could beat those evil plants back into the ground," Luke finished his story.

"A rough day for you then?"

"At least it's almost over."

"You really should read your history more often- it gives you a nice heads up on stuff like dragon's teeth," I smiled. "The dragon's teeth were one of the labors of Jason when he was trying to get the Golden Fleece."

"Good to know," Luke muttered. "So, what did you do today?"

"Bobby wanted to help me train so we can eventually be accepted into the Roman Legion and eventually leave this camp. I also met up with Percy, worked on his memory- it turns out that he remembers Grover, but not me."

"Are you jealous?" Luke asked.

"Not really, I'm sure it's just because of the empathy link that he remembers him," I brushed it off.

I glanced over and saw that the fauns had begun serving the enchiladas- oddly enough, first one in line was Percy. He joined us at our table, taking a seat next to me.

"As soon as I smelled the enchiladas, I came running- the weird thing is that I didn't think I liked enchiladas that much," Percy told.

"You may not, but Grover does- a lot; it's probably just because of the empathy link that you feel the sudden need to eat enchiladas," I laughed.

"Empathy what?" Percy asked- so much information in one day, it had to be annoying.

"Empathy link- you and Grover share emotions, it's not that complicated. Don't worry yourself about it."

Percy shrugged it off, I could tell he hadn't quite gotten over the invincibility thing yet, no need to worry him with additional information.

I changed the subject, "What were you doing in the Temple?"

"Well, I was supposed to be praying or worshipping, a lot of campers do that around here. I'm not very good at that- I got distracted by a puddle on the floor and played around with that for a while, manipulating the water," Percy said honestly.

That made me grin- at least he hadn't changed _that_ much.

"Did you get the answers you needed?" I asked.

"Olympus is closed, so no, but I can manage without."

Bobby came with a plate of enchiladas. He set the plate on the table and took an awkward seat between me and Percy.

"Hey!" He greeted us. He was promptly followed by Dakota in the midst of some conversation.

"_Dico__leonum__victurum__esse_,*" Dakota stated to Bobby.

"_Eheu, stultus es-**"_ Bobby commented.

"_Minime!***"_ Dakota interrupted.

"_Prius__factus__est-__iuvenis__superabam_,****" Bobby stated.

Dakota sat down next to Luke.

"What are they talking about?" I asked Percy.

"Umm… I don't speak Latin," Thank the gods. "I don't know what they are saying, but I think Bobby just called Dakota stupid- that's one of the few words I've picked up over the few months I've been here."

"Already been done? When?" Dakota suddenly asked Bobby in English.

"Last year."

"What about a hydra then?" Dakota asked.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Lupa put Dakota and me in charge of the next venatio," he turned to me and explained briefly. Percy had to crane his neck to get back into the conversation. "This bonehead here thinks we should bring in lions for some real action, but it's already been done and it was_boring_. I think we should go with an elephant or borrow Cerberus from Pluto for a few hours- that would be more exciting."

Hazel must have heard Bobby, as she headed towards our table, "Bobby, Dakota, quit boring the new kids with your arguments!" Hazel joined us taking a seat on Luke's other side and was quickly followed by two other girls. One of the girls was Reyna- who I had met only briefly earlier- the one who was upset that Jason probably has no idea who she is. She seemed to have pulled herself together since this morning, but definitely was not happy. Bobby and Dakota went silent when Reyna sat down. She sighed and picked through her dinner.

Reyna tried to start conversation back up again and asked Percy, "How's your memory coming?"

"It's coming along great, really quickly actually," Percy answered. _What was he talking about?_I shook my head. Reyna turned to me for an answer.

"It's coming slowly, he's stubborn, but at least it's coming back," I grinned. I didn't want to bring up Jason again- fortunately, Hazel stepped in.

"Annabeth, after you left the Temple, I found a couple dollars our mother left for us, I'm pretty sure she thinks we're too focused on the war- nobody's even started mobilizing yet. I was going to take a break from planning and work on weaving for a while, I thought that might be what the money's for. Weaving's just a hobby I picked up over the summer, I figured you might be interested," Hazel told me.

"Weaving, like with cloth and string and stuff? Sure-"

"Great! There's this little store down in the city, which just opened. It sells string and yarn and stuff, I wanted to try it out, does that mean you'll come?" Hazel said excitedly.

"Yeah, I'd like to come," I replied.

"Awesome!" Hazel cheered, glad to have a friend to go along. "We can go after dinner- I'll go and get a boat ready." She turned to Bobby. "Bobby, can I borrow your boat?"

"Hmmm…" he thought, "You'd better not crash it."

"Have I ever?" Hazel asked innocently.

"Fine. You know where the keys are. Go ahead," Bobby dismissed.

Hazel scurried off.

Luke looked at me, "Weaving?" he asked.

"Like tapestry and stuff… I don't know, Minerva's the goddess of weaving, I thought it might be fun?"

Luke shrugged, "It's better than getting a kick out of delivering mail."

The rest of the meal passed in near silence. It seemed no one wanted to say much around Reyna- I didn't know why, but I guess I could always ask Hazel about that later.

* * *

After dinner, I wandered through the marina, looking for Hazel. She pulled up at the end of the dock in a sporty, white, ski boat. She waved me over.

"Nice boat," I said as I climbed inside.

"Yeah, it was a gift to Bobby for his sixteenth birthday. It was really funny- he'd been hoping for a car, but instead he got this," Hazel told. "That's why he's so protective of it. He doesn't let other people use it much."

"Why's he letting us use it then?" I asked Hazel as the boat roared to life and sped away from the dock.

"I think his reasoning is that, because we're daughters of Minerva, we're responsible- it probably also helps that Bobby's got the biggest crush on you."

"Really?" I didn't see it.

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious- at least to me it is," Hazel stated. "Like yesterday- he hasn't offered to help train anyone in years, not even Percy, and he suddenly just has to help you train. And also, he even saved you a seat at the arena- we've been friends for years and he won't even do that for _me_. And today to- if you need proof, he went on and on at the meeting about you and how you were so good at archery. No offense, but it was incredibly boring for everyone to hear about."

"Oh… and he knows I have a boyfriend?"

"Annabeth- dear, you think you have a boyfriend. That's a little different than actually having one. Percy still has no idea who you are," Hazel laughed sweetly.

I grinned and told her, "I'm working on that." I changed the subject. "So what store are we going to?"

"_Tangled Webs: needles and threads_, ridiculous name, right? But it's new so I wanted to try it out," Hazel answered.

I didn't like the sound of the name, I didn't know why, but I just didn't like it.

We made it to the main land quickly. Hazel docked the boat and we got out, ready for a short shopping spree. Hazel knew where the store was and parked the boat close enough to the store- just in case there was an incident. We, demigods, can never be too careful.

Hazel found the store. It was a corner shop near the docks, with dark windows. The sign on the door read "Open," so we let ourselves in. The store was dimly lit, and had walls lined with shelves. Tapestry hung down from the ceiling, and baskets of thread filled the shelves.

"Hello?" I called out, making sure the store was actually open.

"Ooh, just a moment dears, I'm just in the backroom," a withered voice called out, "feel free to look around, if you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Hazel and I did just as the voice said and began looking through the baskets of thread. I found myself looking at the tapestries more than once- they were beautiful, the pictures on them though seemed funny. One of them showed a girl riding a bull, and another, a girl and a swan. For some reason, I didn't like them.

Hazel selected a few colors of thread. "Do you want anything?" She asked.

"No, I think I'm okay." I felt uneasy and wanted to get out.

"Hello?" Hazel called out, "I think we're about ready to pay…"

The voice answered, "Okay, dears, come along back here, I'm only just sorting through a few things."

Hazel pulled me along. I was hesitant, for some reason, I didn't want to go. I put my hand on the handle of my knife- just in case.

I stood in the doorway and gasped at the sight of the shopkeeper. She certainly wasn't just some simple shop keeper… I knew who she was.

"Oh, demigods, fantastic," the shopkeeper hissed. I winced. She was a spider, an enormous, five-foot, black spider.

One of her legs slid passed us, knocking the door shut.

"I was waiting for one of you two to show up- and with my good fortune- you're both here," the spider hissed gleefully.

_Arachne._I recognized her- there couldn't have been another like her. Both Hazel and I stood in silent fright- any child of Minerva/Athena would have. Arachnophobia took over, keeping us quiet.

"I swore my revenge centuries ago, now I can finally get even." I didn't like the sound of that. "Your mother hated my talent for weaving- she turned me into a spider, because I'd rather die than bow my head to her. She ruined everything for me- everything! And the worst of it was that she was a goddess- never to die. But that doesn't mean she won't feel pain- pain from hearing her precious daughters been died from her own mistakes," the Arachne hissed.

_But my mother doesn't make mistakes_, I thought. I had to act and quickly too. I pulled on my Yankees cap.

Seeing me suddenly vanish, Arachne seized Hazel up with one of her legs. Hazel pulled out her sword and tried to hack away at one of her legs, trying to break free. Dark blood seeped from the spider. It hissed furiously. With my knife, I stabbed another one of her legs. Arachne dropped Hazel.

"Quick, we have to get out of here!" I called to Hazel.

Hazel scrambled to her feet. We rushed out the door, passed Arachne. We rushed onto the side walk, hurrying towards the boat.

"Come on!" I urged.

Suddenly, something crashed through the front windows of "Tangled Webs: needles and threads". It was the spider, herself, the monstrous Arachne. She was limping but was still storming after us.

We made it to the boat. Hazel rushed to start it up while I scrambled to untie it from the dock. The engine roared and the boat flew through the water.

The spider stood on shore watching us go as her dark blood trickled onto the pavement.

We got away, but this wouldn't be the last we saw her.

**

* * *

Footnotes/Translations:**

* I say that the lion will win

**Alas, you are stupid-

***No!

****It's been done before- the young man won.

**

* * *

Hope you like it. It's a little different. Please write a review!**


	12. The Meeting in the Temple

Hazel and I reached the island, gasping and frightened- so terrified I felt I might just pass out. I'd been in dangers like this before, but never has it ever been in a case like this where I was alone and being chased down by my one true fear- a freakin' giant spider!

Hazel pulled up to the dock. Bobby was the first to meet us- gods know he was probably only there to look out for his precious boat. He must have been able to tell something was seriously wrong as he rushed to help me out of the boat and continued to help Hazel.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Wuh—we were ah-ah-attacked," I stuttered.

Bobby looked us up and down, checking for injuries.

"We're fine," Hazel snapped, "just a little shaken up."

"We should alert Lupa," Bobby said as a routine answer. He put an arm around me, trying to get me to calm down, before asking, "What happened?"

"We met Arachne," I whispered.

"Arachne?" Bobby wasn't familiar.

"Our mother, Minerva, turned Arachne into a spider for her arrogance," Hazel muttered.

"But she was mortal- she died centuries ago, Gaea brought her back. That should give us reason enough to worry," I elaborated still freaked out.

"Oh, so it isn't just the giant, dead, creepy spider thing that got you two all worked up?" Bobby asked.

"…No, it was that too," I admitted frankly.

Bobby helped Hazel and I to the top of the hill where the mouth of Lupa's cave was. We stood in the entrance for a moment until Lupa emerged.

"_What's happened?" _ Lupa asked silently.

"We were attacked by Arachne. Annabeth and I managed to escape after injuring her. The real problem now though is that we have proof that Gaea has been bringing back the dead who have in the past opposed the gods," Hazel detailed. "We knew there would be war coming, but no one believed it would come this soon."

"_If there is nothing more to be said, prepare the Legion- we will have to begin mobilizing soon. However, alert no one of the threat until war is our only option. Have camp carry on and continue training for now. Annabeth and Hazel- I want you two to prepare a defense for the camp- that will be all for now. Serve me well, my pups,"_ she warned as slipped back into her cave.

Hazel and I walked down the hill and were a good distance away from Lupa's cave before I wondered aloud, "Alert no one? After what happened, how can we just keep quiet about this?"

"We have to, Lupa's orders," Hazel stated.

"But no one?"

"We can tell the rest of the praetors. They're the heads of the Legion," Hazel said.

"Praetors?"

"Like a ranking commander for the Legion, but they have some say in just about everything else that goes on at camp too," Hazel explained.

"Yeah, I know, but you keep making it sound like there's more than just two," I commented, a little fuzzy on my history of Ancient Rome.

"Originally there were only two, but Lupa made the camp's governing system smaller, taking out a bunch of different branches of government and as a result there are six praetors- well, five for now. Jason is still missing," Hazel informed. "You've met just about all of the praetors; it's just me, Bobby, Dakota, Reyna, Gwendolyn, and Jason. Have you met Gwendolyn? No… I don't think you have… You'll have to meet her later, she's going to help us out when we finish up our plan of defense."

Bobby met us at the bottom of the hill.

"Bobby, call a meeting for the praetors immediately. It's urgent," Hazel commanded. She turned to me next, "We're going to the Temple for the meeting- Lupa included you for this, so you're coming too."

Now things were getting back to normal- I'm actually included at the meetings and not just talked about. The new privilege of actually being informed of important things might only be temporary, but at least for now, I'm in the loop!

Hazel and I made it to the Temple, climbing its steps in the dark. It had gotten late and incredibly dark without even the light of the moon to help us out. She sat down, crossing her legs on the stone floor. I followed her lead.

"We always hold meetings here, I don't know why, but we do. I've always kind of liked it- with all the statues standing around, it's as though the gods are in on the meetings too," Hazel told me as we waited for the others to arrive. Dakota arrived next.

"What happened?" he asked immediately as he sat down on the floor near us.

"We'll tell you once everyone's here- it's bad." Hazel whispered.

"How bad can it be? You're still in one piece," Dakota pestered.

"Cut it out, Dakota! I can fight and you know it," Hazel fought back.

"Hazel- you can't fight, we both know that. Annabeth, here, she can fight- that is if she's got that magic Yankees cap of hers- then she can fight," Dakota smirked. "You had your Yankees cap, didn't you?"

"I did, but that's beside the point- we called this meeting because we have evidence that something bigger is coming," I caught his attention.

"Something bigger?" Dakota asked. "Oh, so you need a real swordsman to fight the battle for you, ladies? Why didn't you say so?"

"Don't get yourself too excited, Dakota," Hazel rolled her eyes.

Then Reyna and another girl, who must have been Gwendolyn, arrived and joined us, cross-legged on the Temple floor.

"Hey," Gwendolyn greeted. Reyna said nothing.

"Who are you?" Gwendolyn asked me.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Minerva, she's new here," Dakota stepped into to introduce me before I had the chance.

"Nice to meet you, Annabeth," Gwendolyn replied offering a hand to shake. "I'm Gwendolyn, daughter of Trivia."

I actually didn't know who Trivia was… this could be bad. She probably was some goddess I knew by her Greek name, just not the Roman one. Even based on Gwendolyn's appearance, I really couldn't figure it out. Gwendolyn had light, blonde hair that looked almost white that came down passed her shoulders. She had a pretty face- but was definitely not from the Aphrodite line. Gwendolyn also wore a necklace- it was an odd piece of jewelry that jingled when she moved. Upon further inspection, I figured out it wasn't a necklace at all, but a ring of keys that she wore around her neck. _Keys_? Perhaps Janus- no, Trivia has to be the name of a goddess. I'd think of it later.

Finally, Bobby showed up at the Temple doors.

"Ready to begin?" Hazel asked.

"All able to be here are here," Bobby told her as he joined our group, sitting on the ground.

"Great. Annabeth and I went to Lupa today and received news that war is most definitely coming and soon too. We know this because Annabeth and I were nearly caught today by Arachne. Fortunately for me, Annabeth went into action and managed to fight her off, so that we could escape… I know what you're thinking, finding a monster- that's no big deal. The difference this time was that Arachne was mortal, she should have died centuries ago. We have reason to believe that Gaea is raising up the dead who have once opposed the gods. Lupa has ordered us to prepare, but we have to keep quiet about this until we know more about the current situation," Hazel relayed.

"First, Jason disappears, now this?" Reyna whines.

I had to speak up about that, I didn't want to, but it had to come out at some point. "They're connected- the war, Gaea, and Jason turning up in New York," I muttered reluctantly. I wanted to say more- but if I just revealed then and there that the reason why I knew all of this was because I was actually a Greek demigod from Camp Half-Blood, somehow, I doubted that they would believe me.

"I'm sure they are," Bobby backed me up.

"Anyway, for now, all we can do is plan our defense- Lupa gave the job to me, Annabeth, and Gwendolyn. As for everyone else, tell no one of the threat- that was Lupa's orders. We will continue training as always, perhaps pick up the pace of training as we will need soldiers, but that is all," Hazel finished. At that, the meeting was over.

It was late, probably passed curfew. We all headed back to our respective cabins for the night.

* * *

Even back at my cabin, after the day I've been through, I doubted that I would be able to sleep that night- the memory of Arachne still stung in my mind. I rested my head against my pillow and tried to sleep anyway.

After a while I heard, "Psst…. Annabeth… Are you asleep?"

I sat up quickly, my fingers found the handle of my knife, prepared. I looked around in the dark.

"Hazel?" I whispered.

"Don't worry, it's just me," Hazel replied.

"You can't sleep either?"

"Of course not, that spider is-" Hazel searched for the word, "haunting."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I answered. I sat up, taking a seat on my pillow. Hazel sat down at the foot of my bed.

"Since you're up, I thought we might talk," Hazel said. I could already tell that, we would end up chatting all night like two girls at a slumber party.

"About what?" I asked curiously.

"Let's start with Percy- I heard that you kissed him! Did you?"

I blushed and muttered, "Yeah, it's kind of embarrassing- he didn't even remember who I was!"

"Ouch, that's tough," Hazel commented.

"I should have known that he wouldn't remember me- Jason didn't remember anyone from here. That should have been a big enough hint," I sighed.

"Reyna's going to be miserable once she finds Jason, if that's the case- but then again, perhaps it's best that he doesn't remember her," Hazel muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Reyna and Jason got into a big fight the night before he disappeared- she's blamed herself for his disappearance up until you came and told her that he doesn't even remember her- which has further devastated her. We don't talk about Jason much anymore- not since he disappeared, she breaks out into tears every time he's mentioned or reminded of him, so actually, we all just try not to say much at all in front of Reyna," Hazel told me.

"What were they fighting over- if you don't mind me asking?"

"Reyna thought Jason was cheating on her- she gets so jealous sometimes. It was nothing really- Jason wasn't. He was just caught chatting with a daughter of Cupid one too many times and Reyna totally freaked out," Hazel giggled as though Reyna's personal life was something of a joke.

"Really?"

"I'm pretty sure that since then, she's come to realize he probably wasn't cheating on her- he's a good guy," Hazel added. "A really good guy."

Hazel yawned and decided to try going back to sleep, so she drifted off, back to her bed. I can't remember ever falling asleep that night- I must have though. I woke up early the next morning.

* * *

**Thanks for reading- hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please write a review!**


	13. Swordfights, XActo Knives, and Friends

Even though I was up early- I guess it wasn't early enough. Downstairs I could hear:

"Hello? Annabeth? You up?"

Shoot! I scrambled out of bed. My knees got caught in my sheets and I fell to the floor with a loud BOOM!

"Annabeth? Was that you? Are you alright?"

I didn't answer but, I hurried to my feet and quickly dug through my stuff searching for something to wear. Sitting on top of my things was a purple t-shirt with the words, "Legion Camp" stamped across it. I slipped it on without a second thought. I was running a brush through my hair when I spotted Bobby standing at the top of the spiral staircase.

"Hey Annabeth, are you almost ready?" he asked.

I nodded quickly as I grabbed my knife, my Yankees cap, and the incredibly flashy gold sword that Bobby gave me yesterday.

Bobby headed down the stairs. I followed after as quickly as I could. Bobby met me at the door.

"Nice shirt," He commented as he unzipped his jacket to show he was wearing the same one- but pretty much everyone was. "You okay after what happened yesterday?" he changed the subject. "I know you were a little shaken up yesterday after what happened with Arachne."

"I'm okay. Didn't sleep well, but I'll survive," I told him.

"Okay, we can work on combat again today, nothing too difficult, just basic fighting- same as yesterday, and then some more archery. If Dakota's up, he'll come to the Campus Martius to help us," Bobby said.

We arrived at the dusty field of Mars. Bobby pulled an X-Acto Knife from his pocket- an artist's tool that looked like a scalpel with an incredibly sharp blade, that much I knew from experience. Bobby uncapped it and the blade extended out into a sword.

"Cool," I whispered.

"Yeah, it's called Brushstroke; it's one of those swords that will always end up back in my pocket. It also comes in handy for art projects too," he joked. "Let's see what you learned yesterday."

I whipped out my sword and struck at him. Bobby blocked my blow, forcing me back. I swept my sword at his side and he jumped barely dodging my blade.

"You've improved," he muttered a little frightened.

"Of course I did," I said as I blocked the sweep of his sword, "Percy taught me- Percy's the greatest swordsman I know."

I struck again and Bobby dodged it, stepping backwards.

"I can't believe I thought I'd have to go easy on you," he groaned forcing my sword away. I immediately struck back with all the force I was able to muster up. Bobby's sword was knocked from his hand, causing him to lose his balance and stumble to the ground. I lowered my sword until the tip of it was only inches from his throat.

Bobby waved his arms, surrendering, "Fine, you win!"

"Oh, my gods!" I heard. It was Dakota, finally up and here for training. "I don't believe it! No magic baseball cap, princess? Wow…"

Bobby was still on the ground and glaring up at Dakota.

I drew back my sword and extended a hand to Bobby. He took it and I helped pull him to his feet. "Nice job, Annabeth," he grinned ridiculously despite the fact that he did lose. He turned to Dakota next, "She's gotten really good," he tried to explain.

"Either that or you're just _inept_ without your little bow and arrows," Dakota taunted.

"Let's see about that then," I butted in.

"Great, I'd love for you to help me prove the point, princess," Dakota smirked.

I knew what to do- I'd never make the same mistakes twice. I knew from fighting with Dakota yesterday that he was way too strong for me to fight him the same way I beat Bobby. Fortunately, I'm smarter than he is, and _that_ was how I planned on winning this.

Dakota lifted his sword, holding up behind his head. I watched his hands gripping the sword- his right hand over his left. He brought the sword down with a lot of force. I held a block as best I could until I pushed his sword away. His fighting was mostly offense, I suspected a weaker defense.

I struck at his left side as quickly as I could, before he could strike again. He jumped, dropping his sword to the ground. I didn't hit him, but scared him pretty well. He held up his hands in defeat saying, "Whoa… How'd you do that?"

I smiled, dropping my sword to the ground.

"Percy couldn't have taught you that," Bobby remarked.

"He didn't, but I'd never make the same mistakes twice," I told them.

"-But how did you do that?" Dakota reiterated.

"I noticed a couple things while you were fighting-"

"Like what?" Dakota interrupted.

"Well, like you're right handed," I said.

"So? What does that have to do with anything?" Dakota asked impatiently.

"Being right handed and fighting offensively, I figured-"

Dakota interrupted again, "You're calling my fighting offensive?"

"No, offensive as in taking action instead of defense," I rolled my eyes, "You fighting obnoxiously is irrelevant."

Dakota growled.

I went on, "Between offensive fighting tactics and being right handed, I figured you would be unable to take a quick blow to your left side, because it's your weaker side, and that's how I won- completely fair."

"Oh," Dakota said to that.

"And that is why she is a daughter of Minerva," Bobby muttered to Dakota. Bobby looked at me, "I think we're finished with swordplay for a while now, we can practice but you just beat both of us at an embarrassing speed, I don't think you need our training anymore. Let's move on to archery- this is my favorite."

"I'll go set up the targets," Dakota groaned knowing if he didn't say that Bobby would have ordered him to do it anyway.

Bobby fetched the bows and quivers. Dakota set the targets to about the same distance they were at yesterday. Bobby watched as I fired two arrows- the first one hit the closer target, not in the center this time, but close to it, and the second arrow was much further off from the second target.

Bobby prepared a bow for himself and also fired off two arrows- both of which hit the middle bull's-eye of both targets. _Show off_, I thought.

"Here," he handed me an arrow, "I'll help you- aiming is always the toughest part." Bobby stepped up behind me so that I could feel him on the back of my neck. He placed his hands on mine- one on the bow and the other supporting the arrow. I fired.

We watched the arrow soar high into the air and then pierced the center of the second target. I lowered the bow. One of Bobby's hands still held mine.

"_Bona__, __pulchra __filia __Minervae_," Bobby murmured.

I was beginning to recognize a few word in Latin and suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious, "What did you call me?" I dropped his hand.

Bobby grinned, "Nothing to worry yourself about. How about you try on your own this time?"

_That's what I thought._ I picked up another arrow, this time firing it on my own, trying to get it to exactly the angle Bobby showed me. I found it and fired. And just as planned, the arrow hit the center of the target.

"Nice, Annabeth," Bobby noted.

"How 'bout we take a break for breakfast?" Dakota asked from about ten yards down the field.

"Breakfast sounds great," I said aloud.

"Sure, we're just about finished with today's training anyway," Bobby replied. We probably weren't but that's okay- I was hungry.

* * *

At breakfast, I sat down across from Luke with a plate of waffles and half of a fresh pomegranate.

"Morning Luke," I greeted.

"Hey Annabeth, anything eventful happen while you were out shopping?"

"Why? What did you hear?" I panicked.

"Oh, something did happen then… I was just asking," Luke said.

"Hazel and I were attacked by a giant spider- it's supposed to be a secret, so please, don't tell anyone," I told him.

"A giant spider? Really?"

"Yeah, really! It was terrifying!"

"I can't believe I missed it…" Luke was bummed out.

"Luke, believe me when I say, I would have been more than happy to trade places with you, oh and please, don't tell anyone. Lupa wanted to keep this quiet," I detailed.

"Who am I going to tell?"

"That's what I figured, that reminds me, did you make any new friends?" I asked.

"New friends? You say that like this is the second grade."

"Well, did you?" I insisted.

"Certainly not those Mars kids, but actually I did make a new friend- sorta…" Luke grinned.

"Ooh, what's her name?" I asked. The way he said that, I knew it had to be a girl.

"Calliope- but she goes by Callie. She rounded up all the little Mars kids before they had a chance to pester me again. She's cute and just turned twenty-two," Luke said. Who's to say this wasn't like the second grade?

"Which cabin is she from?" I asked.

"Cupid," Luke told. I was happy for him- he'd made a friend. That was something he doesn't do very often.

Luke and I were joined by Bobby and Dakota- both boys drowned their waffles in maple syrup. The four of us sat in a hungry silence, not awkward, just hungry, ravenous even- training had built up something of an appetite. We worked to scarf down the waffles until the silence was broken by Hazel and Percy.

"Guess what, you guys?" Hazel burst in.

We all looked up from our plates.

"Lupa's decided that Percy's ready to be tested!" Hazel cheered.

"Great, who's he up against?" Bobby asked.

Hazel answered with, "I don't know yet, Lupa's still waiting for an opponent."

"That means that if Percy passes, he'll be a part of the Roman Legion and will actually have some authority around here- not like praetor authority, but at least a say in the important things," Bobby explained to me again.

"An opponent should be named soon, within a few hours- Lupa was still trying to make up her mind about who she would pick," Hazel announced.

When Percy sat down, I made sure to tell him, "Congrats! By the way, thanks again for helping me with swordplay. It really helped today-"

"No problem, Annabeth, I'm always happy to help a friend," Percy answered.

_A friend?_ Was that all he thought I was? Ugh! Two steps forward, one step back.

* * *

**Any ideas for the next chapter? I am taking requests. But anyway- Please, tell me what you think of this chapter, whether you love it or hate it, and write a review! Thanks!**


	14. An Opponent Declared

After brunch, I agreed to spend some quality time with Luke, I could tell we had already began to grow apart since we arrived at the Roman Camp. We were strolling through the Forum. Dakota and Bobby watched us hesitantly from a distance as though thinking of whether or not they could join us. They must not have made up their minds as they watched us for some time.

We strolled, watching the Saturnalia celebration that had begun. The little kids all wore hats and decorated trees- a little different from Christmas, but not that different. Luke bit his lip uncomfortably. Celebrating Saturn- Cronus- was not something he was all that comfortable with.

The little kids in hats ran every which way- they were cute and made me laugh. Luke wasn't laughing. One of the kids glared at Luke and Luke glared back. I wanted to snap at him and get him to cut it out and be nice, but before I could, the little kid stepped in:

"Salve," he said.

"_Salve_," Luke mocked.

"-Luke!" I was outraged. The kid was only saying 'hi'.

"I guess you won't want to help us plant anymore Dragon teeth?" the kid teased.

I swear to the gods I heard Luke growl.

"That's okay, I wanted to make it up to you- we can be friends," the kid smirked, even I wasn't buying his game.

"_Friends_?" Luke asked, "You tried to get me killed!"

"No, I didn't mean to! I'm serious!" the kid shouted.

Luke rolled his eyes, "Fine- let's be friends and be happy and whatever."

The Mars kid waved over a couple of his siblings and they stood around staring awkwardly up at Luke.

Luke glanced over at me as though crying out for help.

"You should see my dog! He was a gift," the Mars boy grinned. He whistled a long, low note.

There was a moment of silence before I can swear that I felt the earth shake. A hellhound came bounding out of nowhere, falling to the heels of the little Mars kids- figures…

Luke looked at me: _help!_

"Oh…" another kid whispered, "I don't think Spot likes you very much." Why they named a jet-black hellhound 'Spot' is beyond me.

The hellhound growled at us as though on queue.

Luke whispered to me, panicking, "…Annabeth, Annabeth, hand me your sword, hand me your sword!"

I pulled out my sword and quickly passed it off to Luke. The hellhound growled. Luke panicked, unsure of what to do- he wouldn't kill the hellhound in front of the little kids who were clearly asking for it- so he ran.

I saw Luke run off towards the marina with the hellhound barreling after him until he disappeared from sight. I didn't follow- it was only a hellhound, Luke could handle it on his own.

Then, a howl rang out eerily in the distance and it was definitely not that of the hellhound. The Forum went silent._ What was that?_ _What happened?_ I wanted to ask. I didn't, I bet I could figure it out. I saw Hazel running through the Forum with Gwendolyn following several paces behind.

She saw me and called out, "Annabeth! Have you seen Percy? We have to find him!"

_What was going on?_ I had to ask, "No, why?"

"Lupa's picked an opponent for Percy," Gwendolyn said quickly. "We have to find him, and prepare him- testing's going to be tonight!"

"What?" I was so confused. Hazel and Gwendolyn hurried away, looking for Percy. I followed after curiously. After about five minutes of searching, we found Percy at the marina, playing with the water at the end of the dock.

"Percy! Percy!" Gwendolyn shouted trying to get his attention.

Percy flipped his head around. "Hey-"

"No time, Percy- we have to go to Lupa's cave. She selected an opponent for you, which means your testing is scheduled for tonight! So, we need to go and find out who the opponent is and prepare with the few hours we have!" Gwendolyn rushed.

We came to Lupa's cave quickly. The giant wolf was already waiting. Not far from her, I saw a small crowd had gathered, among them the campers, was Luke, looking exhausted from whatever he went through fighting off the hellhound, using my sword as a crutch.

Lupa stood up, looking over the small crowd, and then began speaking, "_Tonight, my pups, there will be a gladiator fight in the arena at dusk. __Somnus__ shall be judge. I have selected the candidates to be Perseus Jackson and Luke Castellan. I expect you all to be in attendance."_

Lupa finished speaking. Immediately, I rushed to Luke.

"Luke? What happened? How did you get picked for _this_?" I asked half-laughing.

Luke exhaled, slouching his shoulders. He was covered head-to-toe in sweat and dust. "I don't even know. Lupa caught me fighting the Mars kids' hellhound- I guess she wants me to join the Legion," he shrugged.

"Do you want to join the Legion?" I asked him.

"It's not like I've got a ton of choices- I guess so. I mean, I'm here, so why not?" Luke said.

"Oh…" I didn't know what to think of that. I guess I would have to join the Legion eventually- I mean what else could I be working toward? I was going nowhere with Percy's memory.

Bobby found us in the crowd, "_Salvete__!_ Just heard the big news. So Luke is going to fight Percy… This is going to be hard for you, Annabeth, right?"

"No, it's no big deal- it's not like I haven't seen them fight before," I responded. It was also comforting to know that Percy couldn't get hurt.

"No big deal? Annabeth, this is a gladiator fight- a fight to the death-"

"What?" My jaw dropped in disbelief. He had to be kidding.

"They fight until Somnus, the judge, decides the outcome, he picks the winner and more importantly, he picks the loser, who, in most cases, will die, being killed by the victor," Bobby explained.

"What? B-but didn't you say that to be accepted into the Legion- you had to win- or _lose_ honorably?" I stuttered.

"Yeah, that rarely happens. That happened once- me and Dakota had to fight. It was a good match and the judge was Auster, the south wind- the wind gods can never make up their minds or change their mind too often, so he couldn't decide which of us should win so in the end, he awarded us both wooden swords and laurel wreaths. And we both were accepted into the Legion- but that's the only time I know of that that has happened," Bobby finished his story.

It was around then that I started crying, could have been before, but it was then that I realized that I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

Luke hugged me and whispered, "Who's to say that won't happen again?" I forced a smile for him. It wasn't Percy that I had to worry about. I wiped my tears away with my sleeve.

"Percy's been training for months- we'd better get to work with you, before tonight, 'else you might be in real trouble," Bobby told Luke.

* * *

A couple hours passed, Bobby took Luke off to the Campus Martius for training. I stood at the edge of the field watching for as long as I could. Luke was definitely a better swordsman than Bobby, but I couldn't tell if that would be enough to survive a fight against Percy.

Percy was there at the field too, training with Gwendolyn. Percy seemed to get a lot more out of training than Luke did as it seemed that Gwendolyn wasn't even using a sword and shield but something else entirely in combat- I couldn't quite tell what she was using.

I turned away from the field and began walking- not really going anywhere in particular. There was nothing I could do.

I ended up breaking down right in the middle of the Forum- fortunately, the Forum was empty; everyone had already gone to the arena.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and headed off to the arena, preparing myself to face whatever I had to. Bobby met me at the area's doors. He led me wordlessly down to the arena's dirt floor, down to where Luke and Percy were suiting up, putting on their armor. Bobby didn't have to explain why he brought me there- I knew why. He was giving me a chance to say my goodbyes.

I ran to Percy first and hugged him tightly. He didn't know much about me and stared hesitantly for a moment, but hugged me back, politely. My eyes welled up, but I held back tears as best I could. I stepped away and turned to Luke next.

I gave Luke a bear hug. He kissed my forehead, whispering, "Don't worry about me." He smiled at me as though to hide how nervous he actually was.

I didn't say "Good Luck," I couldn't; for either to win was just as painful as either to lose. I bit my lip and a few tears rolled down my chin. Bobby ushered me away and it was best that he did; I couldn't stand being down there.

Bobby sat down in the bleachers beside me and put a comforting arm around me. I looked down at the arena floor. _Whatever happens, happens._

* * *

**Much shorter than usual, hope you like it. Reviews are helpful. Thanks!**


	15. The Fight

The stadium filled up with harpies and the venti that dropped into their chairs through the open roof. Fauns and nymphs filled up empty seats. In a box, overlooking the center field, sat Lupa and at her side, another god- Somnus, Roman god of sleep. Somnus had his head leaning against his shoulder and snored a little. Lupa barked until the god opened his eyes, awaking frantically, looking around to see what he had missed. _Real promising judge._ A couple of centaurs galloped in, to stand in the back- they may have been some of Chiron's relatives. They cheered and shouted with painted chests as though this was a football game. I guess in some sense this was- it was their form of entertainment and spectator sports. A few other minor gods took their seats in the bleachers- I guess for gladiator fights, some of the gods were willing to break their silence.

Then, Percy entered the arena. The crowds cheered. Percy didn't seem to hear any of it. Gwendolyn followed behind him a few paces. She was crying, probably incredibly worried too. I saw him turn to her, offer a smile- not a real smile, not a happy one anyway. I knew the difference. At that, Gwendolyn took off, running to him and grabbing him tightly in her arms. I saw him smile at the white-haired girl and hug her warmly as though he didn't want to let her go. She kissed his cheek before letting go. I glared at her, wishing I wasn't jealous, but I was and couldn't help it. Percy put on his helmet and uncapped Riptide. He didn't look at me once.

On the other side of the arena, Luke entered alone. I wanted to be down there with him- too late now. I sat back into my seat, grumbling. Luke held my gold sword from when I lent it to him earlier. I was glad he had it, and would wield it like a good luck charm. Luke didn't wear a helmet- why he didn't I don't know, but he didn't.

"You didn't give him a helmet?" I snapped at Bobby.

"No, of course I did! He just didn't want to wear it," Bobby told me defensively. I exhaled slowly- painfully. My eyes welled up again, but I didn't want to cry- would do anything not to cry and be brave. I hid my face in Bobby's jacket- cowardly, but at least no one would see me- not Percy, not Luke. Bobby hugged me tighter, he understood how devastating it was going to be to watch this.

Then, the trumpet sounded, some cacophonous note- the fight began. I opened my eyes- I didn't think I'd be able to, but I felt I had to, had to watch and had to know.

It started slow- Percy struck first- why should he wait? He didn't remember Luke. Luke blocked the blow and struck back forcefully. It started simply, not much strategy- they were testing each other for weakness. Luke must have thought he found Percy's first. Luke struck Percy in the head with the blunt edge of his sword, knocking him off his feet and sending his helmet across the field. I gasped, even though I knew it shouldn't have hurt Percy, probably just surprised him. I worried anyway. Percy gripped Riptide, climbing to his feet, he asked, "Whatever happened to the Backbiter?"

I gasped.

"Wasn't my sword, Percy," Luke laughed grimly. "It was Cronus's scythe, remember?"

Percy dropped his sword. His face fell. Then he whispered, "Yeah, I-I do…." Luke moved as though to strike, and Percy lifted his sword to fight back. Luke's sword clashed with Percy's- the two of them fought, but I could tell it was with minimal effort- a mock battle, rather.

I stood up and left the bleachers.

"Annabeth?" Bobby called behind me. I ignored him and rushed to the arena's lower levels and down to the arena's center dirt floor. I watched the two of them from the sidelines- as close as I could get. "Annabeth!" Bobby called again. Bobby reached me and pulled me back as though afraid that I might try and interfere.

Apparently, Bobby made enough noise that Luke got distracted and looked over at me and Bobby. Percy's sword swung just so that Luke should have been able to block it without a second thought- but he didn't…

Riptide grazed Luke's shoulder. Luke winced, but continued to fight. Blood was already soaking through his clothes and streaking his armor. I wanted more than anything to run to him, then and there, but I couldn't.

"That shouldn't have happened!" I heard Percy mutter to Luke between blows. "That wasn't your Achilles heel!"

Luke responded back with, "I died, remember- I'm mortal and no longer almost _invincible_." The mock-battle continued on, the swords clashed- they were biding their time, unsure of what to do and how to end this.

It had to end eventually- there had to be a winner and a loser. I knew that and they both knew it too.

Once, I caught Percy looking towards me. He wasn't smiling. _Did he remember me?_ I couldn't hope for that much. It was a pensive stare, full of thought but quickly broken by Luke's attacks.

Percy blocked and then struck back- a little harder than Luke was prepared for, forcing my sword from Luke's hands.

The trumpet sounded again- the fight was over. The judge would step in now. Up in the judges' box, I saw Somnus with his head far back in his chair, dozed off. Lupa nudged him with her nose until he blinked several times and decided to get up. The judge slept through the fight? How is that fair? (But I guess what could I have expected from the god of sleep.) Somnus would go for the easy answer- Luke was defenseless.

I had to act- had to do something….

I slipped my Yankees cap over my head and got away from Bobby's grip.

"Annabeth?" Bobby asked, he knew what I had done, yet glanced around anyway.

Percy would be declared the victor. I could hear Somnus making the decision now. The crowds were calling for blood. I ran into the field, to Luke. He couldn't see me, I grabbed his hand and tugged. He knew it was me- who else could it be?

I had to get him out of here- out of the arena, off this island, just away and safe. I tugged his hand again, whispering one word- all he needed to hear- _run_.

I let go and Luke bolted out of the arena, running through the exit. I followed after as quickly as I could. We ran out to the marina. I untied a little motorboat from the dock. Luke jumped inside, promising me, "I'll be back. I'll find help- I find Thalia!"

We could already hear an angry crowd coming out after him. They expected there to be blood and wouldn't leave until they saw just that.

I pulled off my Yankees cap for a quick moment to hug Luke, goodbye.

"What about your shoulder?" I asked him- his blood was already staining my shirt.

"It's just a scratch- I'll manage. I'll be back soon, to rescue you, if it comes to that. I'll bring Thalia, Clarisse, whoever it takes-" Luke whispered.

"You'd better go if you intend to keep this promise," I muttered.

Luke grinned and turned the motor on. The boat sped away, disappearing in minutes. I pulled my Yankees cap over my head and walked back to the arena. I passed a few angry centaurs on the way back, searching for Luke- no luck there.

I reappeared on the arena floor at Bobby's side.

"Where'd you go?" he played dumb- he knew where I went and what I did.

I sighed. "I've been here."

Bobby accepted that, and said nothing further. I was still upset and couldn't hide that. Luke was gone- off on his own… Bobby held my hand, clearly making the most of my situation. I didn't care- at least I wasn't alone.

Percy stood out, by himself, in the center of the arena. Somnus came down to award him a laurel wreath and a wooden sword. Lupa nodded to invite him into the Legion. Percy accepted the sword and wore the wreath honorably. When Lupa stepped out, silently looking for his answer to join the Legion, Percy stepped back.

"No, as flattering as it is, I cannot accept," Percy said.

The crowd gasped. Nobody ever declines. Percy looked over at me.

"It would be wrong for me to accept without first informing you that I- I'm pretty sure, at least I think, I am already part of an army- sort of…" Percy told everyone. "I'm a Greek demigod- son of Poseidon."

A hush fell over the crowd, someone raised an arrow, fired and hit the ground in front of him- a warning.

"I don't mean it at all as a threat- I had amnesia for months, and suddenly, everything is just kinda coming back…" Percy tried to explain.

Lupa listened, considering his answers, before saying, "_The invitation still stands, regardless of your past. You've proven your loyalty and proven to be worthy, my pup. On this, my mind is made up, the choice is yours, and the offer will stand for as long as needed." _

The crowd calmed as they listened to Lupa's words- they would never disobey her.

The fight was over and the victor was named and the spectators had begun to leave the arena. Gwendolyn ran to Percy and together they left the arena. Percy glanced back at me just once, the way he had been doing. I didn't know what to think of it. I waited in the lower floors of the arena. Bobby waited with me, until I felt up to leaving.

* * *

Hours later, Bobby and I at in the Forum, and he asked, "So where did he go?"

"Who?" I wondered.

"Luke, I don't mean to pry- I'm just curious, where did he go?" Bobby asked casually. "I won't tell anyone or anything."

I smiled and shrugged. "I don't really know where he went. He said he'd be back, though, and he will- I believe him, eventually."

"Oh," that wasn't the answer he'd been hoping for. "He was hurt though, right?"

"He was, I never saw how badly. He didn't want to show me and said it was only a scratch- I bet it was worse than that but he'd be better off running and being hurt than sticking around to die," I replied.

"Yeah, that's true," Bobby said. There was a moment of silence before Bobby asked, "What's your thoughts on Percy's new tattoo?"

"New tattoo? What are you talking about?" I asked.

Bobby rolled up his sleeve, "He completed the test so he gets a tattoo to show he did- sort of showing allegiance to the Legion, even if he's decided that he doesn't want to be part of it- in that case he won't get the 'S.P.Q.R' on his arm- that's for the Legion only."

"S.P.Q.R…" I whispered, tracing the letters on Bobby's arm with one finger.

"Stands for _**S**enatus __**P**opulus**q**ue__** R**omani_- the Senate and the People of Rome," Bobby told me. "Percy won't have that. His should be a horse with one of these black lines through it."

"Oh," It was going to be weird to see Percy with a tattoo.

"You'll get one too, eventually, as soon as Lupa decides your ready- she may call you in for a _venatio _instead of a gladiator fight- she does that sometimes when there aren't any new campers," Bobby said to me. I was hardly listening- there were other things on my mind, even he could tell. He stopped talking until I finally came out with it.

"Who's Gwendolyn? I met her, but who is she?" I asked. I had to, it had been bugging me.

"Ooh, I knew this was coming…" Bobby muttered.

"Why? What?" I asked.

"I'm guessing you caught them at the arena," Bobby began.

I nodded, "What's the history?"

"They've been… like they were back at the arena- for awhile now, a month or two. It all started because Gwendolyn was seen as the most competent person to train Percy because she could train him using by using black magic," Bobby detailed.

"Black magic?"

"Yeah, she's daughter of Trivia, she can do black magic- witchcraft," Bobby told me. Trivia is goddess of witchcraft and keys…? Oh, my gods, Hecate! I couldn't believe what I was hearing- Percy and a daughter of Hecate! "Don't get mad at her though; it's not as though she, or Percy for that matter, knew they would be hurting you!"

"A good witch- how unoriginal…" I grumbled too miserable to say anything else.

Bobby laughed but said, "Yeah, she's our Glinda, so please, be nice to her." I couldn't tell whether he was saying that because he cared about _Glinda_'s happiness or his own- I couldn't imagine that he'd actually accept the fact that I had a boyfriend without some sort of argument or sway.

"I can try," I muttered, "I won't make any promises."

* * *

At dinner that night, the fauns made tomato soup and served it with oyster crackers. I sat at my usual table next to Bobby- there was an empty seat where Luke used to sit. Gwendolyn and Percy didn't join us. Dakota told us that Percy was getting his tattoo and Gwendolyn decided to wait with him and have dinner later on. Reyna and Hazel also came. Reyna asked about what happened to Luke several times- that just got me annoyed. Even Bobby rolled his eyes after the second time she asked. Hazel still didn't talk much to Reyna so dinner went on at a snail's pace- too few people to talk too and far too many topics to be avoided.

After dinner, Bobby walked me back to my cabin. Hazel didn't come for some reason or another, something about hellhounds or harpies- it really made no difference. It had been a rough day- Luke was gone and Percy had replaced me. Bobby helped a little, trying to make me laugh or at least smile for a little while.

"You know, I'm pretty sure Dakota's afraid of you," Bobby joked.

I giggled.

"No, really! He acts all tough and talks it up, but he's isn't. He can't even hide the fact that you beat him!" Bobby added.

I couldn't stop laughing- my mind had drifted off, away from my troubles and concerns. He grabbed my hand and swung it back and forth, playfully, until we reached the Minerva Cabin.

"Guess this means 'goodnight'," I said to him.

"Alright, hope tomorrow turns out better," Bobby wished for me. "Sweet dreams, Annabeth." Bobby leaned in and kissed my cheek. We both blushed. Bobby waved and headed off to his cabin while I opened the door and slipped inside mine.

It had been a _long_ day.

* * *

That night, pretty late- probably after curfew- there was a knock at the Minerva cabin door. Hazel groaned, tossing and turning in her bed. "Can you get that, Annabeth?"

I yawned, "Yeah, sure…" I blinked several times until my eyes adjusted to the light before climbing down the stairs still in my pajamas. I answered the door.

It was Percy.

He stood with his hands in his coat pockets, grinning ridiculously. Before I got a chance to say anything at all, he said, "Annabeth Chase, I came as soon as I could, I just have to tell you- I remember everything."

* * *

**Probably a little different than imagined, but you get the point. Please, write a review and tell me what you think! Gratias ago!**


	16. Aurora, Apples, and Archery

Everything? I didn't know whether to hug him or start crying right then and there. That was a lot to suddenly remember after all that's happened.

"Everything?" I asked.

"Almost… the important things at the least- I remember you," Percy whispered to me.

I hugged him quickly, just to make sure all of this was real- that he was there and saying all of this to me. Surely enough, he hugged me back- not just a polite hug, but an actually warm embrace. My heart leapt. "I've missed you, Percy," I whispered.

"I can't believe I ever would have forgotten about you," he sighed, "after everything we'd been through."

"_Tell me about it_," I sighed. "I'm glad you're back."

"…yeah, me too…" my hand slid down his arm, "Ouch!" I forgot about the tattoo.

"Sorry!" I squealed. "How'd they give you a tattoo if the needle can't pierce your skin?"

"The ink is made from the water of the Acheron river in the Underworld- river with almost equal strength to Styx," Percy explained as he rolled up his sleeve. It was just as Bobby had said it would be- a horse with one long, black, vertical line running through it.

"Cool, I wonder what everyone back at Camp Half-blood will think of it?"

"Speaking of Camp Half- Blood- how's Luke? I knew you had something to do with his disappearance," Percy asked.

"I don't know, he's on the run, but he said he'd be okay- he's gone off to find Artemis's hunters and Thalia, perhaps even back to Camp Half-blood if he can manage the trip," I whispered excitedly- it was a thrilling thought that Luke may just come back with all the friends I hadn't seen in months.

"Thalia? Who's that again?" Percy asked. "You're not making her up just to mess with me, are you?"

"No," I giggled. "I hadn't thought of that-"

"Gods, no, I'm giving you ideas!" Percy laughed.

"Anyway, Thalia's an old friend of mine. She's the daughter of Zeus and she became one of Artemis's hunters so that you could fulfill that prophesy- remember?"

"Uh, sort of- it's a little fuzzy. This is a weird question- but was she ever a- a tree?" Percy asked.

I giggled, "She was, your memory's better than you think, Seaweed Brain!"

"That reminds me…there's some things I should probably tell you about…" Percy whispered, a little concerned. I knew this was coming- I just wish he didn't have to bring it up now- things were going so well! "I'm sure you've met Gwen…" I knew it- _he'd have to bring up Glinda._ Percy was too nice not to.

I raised my eyebrows, "I've heard quite a bit about this 'Gwen'… is she your new girlfriend?"

Percy hesitated as though he didn't want to tell me the truth, he probably knew lying wasn't going to benefit him either. "I don't know-"

"But you do care about her- right?"

"Sort of…" Percy didn't want to talk about this, not with me anyway.

"Tell me the truth- I've seen you with her."

"Alright! I do, but that was back when I couldn't remember you- I know that sounds bad, but I care about you too! After all we've been through, I can't let you go again," Percy scrambled for an answer. "Not even Gwen can change that."

There was an awkward moment of silence- I didn't know what to say, so I backed out of this- "It's past curfew, I'd better go inside."

I closed the door behind me, leaned back and slid down against the door. I slid all the way down until I was on the floor. I took a deep breath in, and then let it out.

The next morning, I made sure to be up before dawn- and as usual, that wasn't early enough. I put on my purple Legion Camp t-shirt, brushed my hair, grabbed my things and headed down stairs- I thought I was up early- so convinced I was.

Of course when I finally did make it down the stairs- I was once again proven wrong. Dakota was standing on top of the table in the middle of the cabin, kicking the figurines around and pretending he was a giant.

"Dakota! Hazel worked really hard on that!" I shouted.

Dakota shrugged and jumped to the ground, "that's what happens when I have to wait too long, princess!"

"Waiting? What were you waiting for?" I asked Dakota, I still had a while before training was supposed to start.

"I had to talk to you," Dakota said urgently.

"About what?"

"About you and Bobby-"

"Since when do you care?" I asked.

Dakota rolled his eyes, "Look, princess, Bobby is my best friend, and you may not know this- but I'm not exactly all that _warm- and- fuzzy_, 'specially when it comes to meeting new people-"

"Wow, I never knew that," I remarked sarcastically.

Dakota groaned, "Anyway- he's one of the few friends I've got, so I've got to look out for him. He told me last night that he kissed you- I don't know what that is supposed to mean for you and Percy-"

"Get to the point, Dakota," I grumbled. I hated being told things I already knew.

"Just don't break his heart- his last relationship didn't go very well and I got stuck dealing with that," Dakota told.

"What happened?" I was curious- Dakota wouldn't have mentioned it if he didn't want me asking.

"He had some awkward infatuation with my sister-"

His sister… No wonder Dakota looked familiar when I first saw him. "Bobby and Aurora?"

"Whoa… how'd you know her name? I knew you were smart but you don't read minds, do you?" Dakota suddenly got frightened.

"No, I don't read minds, I met her last week, while I was traveling with the hunters of Diana," I explained.

"Yeah, she became a hunter after she got tired of Bobby- that just crushed him, I didn't think he'd ever get over that," Dakota said. "Aurora thought he was too clingy for her, but then again just about anybody who shows any sort of emotion is too clingy for her- heck! She thought I was clingy! Anyway, that devastated him, I didn't think he'd get over that. I can't even imagine- some girl swearing off men after getting sick of you- that was painful, he didn't get over that until he met you- then what-do-you-know- he meets you and you're all he ever talks about. I'm a little sick of it but at least he's not talkin' 'bout my sister anymore."

Huh… I grinned- _all he ever talks about?_

"Just, please, don't break his heart- for my sake if anything," Dakota pleaded before he left.

I sighed and smiled a little, I must have meant a lot to Bobby. It was nice to know that someone cared –even if it wasn't Percy.

Hazel came downstairs ten minutes later.

She saw her ruined charts and asked, "Annabeth! What happened?"

"Dakota happened- he said he needed to talk to me and got bored waiting and… - I told him you'd be mad," I told Hazel.

"Damn it, Dakota!" Hazel grumbled in fury. "Why'd he come here?" Something there sparked Hazel's interest.

"I don't know, he started talking about Bobby-"

"What about Bobby- did something happen?"

"No, nothing really-"

"Then, why's Dakota concerned? Something had to happen- tell me, Annabeth!" Hazel whined.

"Fine, but really I don't see what the big deal is- Bobby kissed me on the cheek and suddenly everyone feels the need to know everything," I rolled my eyes, tired of the drama.

"Wait- Bobby kissed you?" Hazel asked.

"It doesn't matter," I sighed, sort of wishing I would let myself care more, get excited, and feel the flutter of those butterflies in my stomach. "Percy's memory is coming back," I whispered excitedly- I let myself get excited over that, forcing myself to be happy about that from time to time. _Percy getting his memory back was a good thing, right?_ I'd reason, trying to tell myself that it was.

"Percy remembers you?" Hazel asked- I bet she was more excited than I was.

"_Yeah."_

"Aren't you excited?" Hazel asked.

"I am, or try to be, there's problems with that- with Percy, I have Gwendolyn to deal with and figure out how all of that's going to work out…" Just describing the situation gave me a headache.

"Ooh, yeah, I kind of just forgot about that- it'll work out somehow, Annabeth. _Amor omnia vincit_ – or at least I like to think so," Hazel tried to comfort me. _Amor omnia vincit _– love conquers all- a nice thought, but I didn't know if I could believe in that, not when stuff like this happens.

Bobby picked me up for training at the usual time and Dakota met us at the field. We worked on archery training for a few hours until brunch (a later breakfast). Training went as it always did- I was getting really good at archery. During training, I noticed Dakota was watching me- not in a comfortable way- he seemed suspicious. He probably didn't want me bringing up what we talked about this morning with Bobby, I wouldn't say anything to Bobby anyway.

"I think you're ready for an archery test- just a challenge, to see if we can move on to the other things you need to do for training," Bobby told me while we were training.

"What's the challenge?" I asked.

"I'll explain in just a second- I'll have to set it up myself," Bobby whispered. He ran out across the field to Dakota and pushed Dakota around until he convinced him to put on a blindfold. Once Dakota was blindfolded, Bobby pulled an apple from his coat pocket and placed it on top of Dakota's head. Bobby ran about twenty yards back to me. "Now, aim well and shoot the apple off his head!"

"What? I can't do that!" I panicked.

"But you can! I've been working with you- I believe you can!" Bobby cheered me on.

I gave him a smile. Bobby could do that- make me smile even when I didn't feel like it. I raised my bow.

"Careful though, let's try _not_ to kill my best friend," Bobby chuckled.

I aimed carefully, took a deep breath, and fired.

We watched the arrow fly through the air- headed right for the apple! It was going- going- going- then fell. Oh, no! The arrow plunged into the ground between Dakota's feet. Dakota must have felt the arrow stir the soil around him as he jumped, panicked and afraid, he tore off the blind fold.

"Nice going, princess! You nearly shot me!" Dakota screeched.

Bobby laughed. "We'll work on that some more later, I think you've scared Dakota enough for today."

* * *

**Let's just see where this goes... Hope you liked it- As usual, please write a review- reviews are helpful! Thank you!**


	17. The End of Training

**Readers remember- this is one chapter of the story, and _not_ the ending. **

* * *

Percy's hand found mine under the table at lunch. He squeezed my hand sending goose bumps up my arm and butterflies through my stomach- it was as though things were as they as they should be, but then again, in the next breath he'd turn around and smile at Gwendolyn. Percy was still trying to figure things out for himself- I hoped he'd figure it all out soon. Me or _her_. I almost wished he would just make up his mind- even if he didn't pick me, at least this mess would be over- no more jealousy- I hated being jealous more than almost anything. I wanted to act- do something, that usually never stopped me, but in a situation like this I was lost for words, out of ideas- times like these were when the Aphrodite cabin actually came in handy- perhaps acting like one of them might help a little- that gave me an iota to work with- even if it was a somewhat idiotic…

I rested my head against his shoulder- that got his attention. I could feel his green eyes gingerly resting on me with something like surprise wash through them.

"It's good to have you back," Percy whispered to me. I gave his hand a squeeze. _As long as it's just me and not her,_ I thought to myself. _Glinda_ shot me a nasty glare from across the table, I said nothing too her- I couldn't blame her for being angry, if I were in her place I'd be angry too.

Dakota tried to interfere by saying, "Percy, did you know that your good _friend_, here, Annabeth, has already nearly killed me today?"

"I did not!" I defended, lifting my head.

Percy laughed, "What happened?"

"She does this at least once- daily! Yesterday, with a sword, the day before that with her magic baseball cap, and now today with arrows!" Dakota whined- I guess he was more concerned with making me look bad and helping a friend than defending his own honor- that's some dedication.

"It's not my fault you that you volunteered to help me train- which you had to expect meant fighting at least some of the time!" I combated.

Just then Bobby came back over with a plate of fresh fruit for the table. I gave Percy's hand a squeeze before dropping it and started beaming at Bobby- I didn't even realize I was doing it. He sat down next to me.

"Strawberries, anyone?" he asked the table, setting the plate down where everyone could reach. I grabbed one or two- almost everyone did.

I saw Dakota's glare flip back and forth between me and Percy before he said, "Hey Bobby, don't you want to get back to helping Annabeth train?"

Bobby turned to me and asked, "What do you think, Annabeth?"

"If Dakota's willing, I say why look a gift horse in the mouth?" I replied.

"It's just that you where so close- why not keep it up?" Dakota reasoned. I was sensing an ulterior motive. This was the boy who just whined about me nearly killing him just about every day since I started training.

"Great! Let's go then," Bobby stood up.

I jumped to my feet, "Would _love_ to." I turned my head to Percy and asked, "You coming?"

He looked up at me with his big, green eyes, "Wouldn't miss it."

* * *

At the Campus Martius, Dakota headed off to set up the targets.

"Would ya help me, princess?" Dakota shouted to me.

"Yeah, sure," I responded and rushed over to help him.

The moment I got within earshot, Dakota whispered, "What are you doing? Why did you invite Percy?"

I shrugged, "I like Percy, besides he is my _boyfriend_, so why not?"

I helped Dakota lift one of the targets, "He's hardly your boyfriend- he's been obsessed with Gwendolyn for months, so keep your eyes on the prize- you should be with _Bobby_- not him!"

"Who are you to say anything about that, _puer Martius_?" I asked him- playing around with what I knew of Latin. I was getting to be more and more fond of hearing it- perhaps going even as far as saying I may have even wanted to learn it- at least a little anyways… Bobby knew Latin.

Dakota lifted the second target without my help and moved it into position. "Just don't hurt him! That's all I've been telling you the whole time."

I could understand that he was only just looking out for his friend. "I won't. I don't know how things are going to work out- but I don't want to hurt him. He's a nice guy."

I returned from helping Dakota to be handed my bow and a quiver.

"Let's see what you've got," Percy challenged playfully.

"Let me show you!" I raised my bow.

"Make me proud, Annabeth!" Bobby encouraged.

I pulled an arrow into it, raised it and fired. The arrow hit the distant target dead center. I'd done this so many times before- even I was getting bored with it.

Percy and Bobby cheered as though it was something actually impressive. They were just being sweet.

"Thanks, guys. Bobby- I've done this so many times, I think I'm ready for your challenge- the gods only know if Dakota's ready, can I try it, again?" I asked as sweetly as I could.

"Of course, Annabeth, I'll go get Dakota ready- it would be wonderful just to be done with training," Bobby told me as he went off to go prepare Dakota.

"What's the 'challenge'?" Percy asked curiously.

"Shoot an apple off of Dakota's head from ten yards away- it's my second try, let's hope it goes better than the first!"

Percy gave me a grin and crossed his fingers for me.

"Thanks, Percy," I whispered before Bobby came running back.

"Good luck, Annabeth," Bobby said as he handed me another arrow. "Don't hit him."

I smiled at him as I pulled the arrow back and released.

From across the field, I heard a whispered droning, "…I'm dead, I'm dead, I know it, she killed me, I shouldn't have signed up for this, I died, I'm dead."

"You're not dead, Dakota!" I shouted.

He tore of his blindfold, felt around as though to make sure he was all in one piece. "Oh. You're right- good thing too!" There was an apple at his feet with an arrow through it.

With that said, Bobby ran to me, lifted me off my feet and twirled me around, ecstatically. He kissed me on the cheek again, causing my cheeks to burn bright red by the time he set me down."You did it, Annabeth! We finished training!"

"Really? Yes!" I cheered.

"Congrats, Annabeth!" Percy contributed a little awkwardly as he watched me and Bobby.

"What do you say we celebrate- tonight, over dinner?" Bobby pulled me aside to ask. "It can be just me, you, and Dakota- want to?"

"I'd _love_ to," I replied.

"Great, but Hazel put me on lookout duty tonight for the eastern shore, so I hope you don't mind if we have to have a picnic on the beach," Bobby informed.

"Actually, that sounds really nice- I'll meet you tonight then!" My nerves were sent a flutter and for a moment I could barely breathe. Just him asking to go out to dinner with me- away from the Dining Hall- was enough to drive me crazy. He asked Dakota to come too, so it wasn't technically a _date _but then again, he probably wouldn't ask as I did still have _Percy_.

I saw Percy, still waiting for me. I went to his side. "What was that all about?" he asked me.

I tried to shrug it off, no need to worry him- it's not as though he'd ever tell me about him and Gwen. "Bobby just thought it might be nice to have a dinner to celebrate with Dakota- I'm sure Dakota could use some celebration," I joked.

"Yeah, really- he's probably ecstatic that he hasn't seen Plut- I mean Hades… sorry Annabeth, old habits die hard," Percy grumbled as though he wanted things the way they used to be too, back before we had to worry about the Romans.

"It's alright, Percy. I kinda like it now. The whole Roman thing has kind of grown on me," I replied.

* * *

Later that day, I scoured the Minerva Cabin for something to wear. I had four t-shirts and three pairs of jeans and a grey winter coat- I needed that for New York, two weeks ago. I had nothing.

Hazel watched my dilemma from the foot of her bed as she fiddled with her wooden sword and worked on drawing out another map and defense plan. "What are you doing?" She finally asked.

I sat down on the floor, frustrated. "I don't have anything to wear," I pouted like a daughter of Aphrodite- at least with Hazel, I could vent these problems without worrying what others think.

"Why change? It's not like we're doing anything tonight," Hazel muttered. Then in some realization, she dropped the sword to the ground, "You've got plans?" She asked excitedly.

"Nothing too big," I answered.

"Ooh! You do! What are you doing? Where are you going? Who are you going with?" Hazel asked all at once, excited for me.

"It's nothing to much- me and Bobby- and Dakota too- are going to have a picnic on the beach to celebrate the end of training," I said so simply.

"I see why you have to change. I can help you find something," Hazel offered the way any good half-sister would. The Minerva Cabin wasn't known for their fashion sense- I could used Piper's help about now- she didn't like to admit it, but she knew her fashion, though I doubt she'd offer to help me with it. Hazel went off to her trunk of belongings, digging through it. She pulled out a couple frilly tops that I knew I would just never wear- I doubted she would wear them either, in fact a few of them still had price tags hanging from them.

I shook my head at them.

"Yeah, I know- I don't like them either," Hazel said stuffing them into her trunk. "How about this?" Hazel pulled out a grey and blue checkered blouse.

I looked at it for a moment.

"You don't have to wear it- but it's a lot nicer than just jeans and the purple t-shirt," Hazel told me. It was a whole lot nicer than just a t-shirt. I thought for a moment. Did I want it to be more than just a picnic with friends..?

"Thanks, Hazel… I think I'll wear it."

* * *

Around five, I headed down to the eastern shore. I could hear the hellhounds barking in the distance, defending the coast. I flipped my head around searching for someone, anyone I'd recognize. Hazel did my hair playing with around with a can of hairspray- I never used it so it felt a little funny. I could feel my blonde curls bouncing over my shoulders- I wasn't sure if I liked it. Hazel thought it looked pretty.

I heard the beach- the rough tides rushing in against the rocky shore. It was later in the evening- around the time when the sky got to be that pretty purple color. Down the shore, I saw Bobby patrolling, walking up and down, with a pair of binoculars; looking for ships, monsters, or whatever else Hazel was so convinced was coming for them.

"Hey, Bobby!" I called from the distance.

He turned and waved and ran to meet me.

"Hey, Annabeth!" He called. When he came closer, I heard him murmur, "Wow- you look really good…"

I smiled fiddling with my hair, not entirely sure whether or not he meant for me to hear him.

Bobby then added, "Dakota canceled, so I guess it's going to be just me and you. I hope that's okay-"

Something told me that Dakota might just do something like that. "That's just fine by me."

Bobby had brought a picnic basket, he pulled out a blanket and put it down on the sand. I took a seat on the blanket.

"Did Dakota give you a reason for ditching us?" I asked Bobby a little curiously.

"Not much of one- he said he thought we'd have a better time on our own without him," Bobby grinned.

"He didn't say that- did he?" I asked, lightheartedly.

"In so many words, yeah- it was something like that," Bobby muttered, sweetly.

I giggled- I couldn't help it. I was worse than Drew, back at Camp Half-Blood! Did I even care? No, not really. I was happy; I don't admit that often- something always comes along to ruin it. There wouldn't be anything this time- there couldn't- at least that's what I assumed, totally forgetting about just about all the awful things that could happen. I let myself forget- my mind was drifting elsewhere- to happier places under the lovely purple skies. I sat down on the blanket, next to Bobby. He pulled out sandwiches from the picnic basket.

"I hope these were okay- the fauns didn't feel like cooking, so I whipped these up myself- "Bobby said, a little embarrassed. "The Apollo cabin's not exactly known for culinary expertise- I hope you like peanut butter and jelly…"

"No, that's very sweet of you," I answered picking up a sandwich. "Frankly, peanut butter and jelly sounds great." I looked at him to find he had been gazing back at me. Our eyes met for a brief moment, long enough to make me smile, before looking away bashfully.

We nibbled on the sandwiches and listened to the waves crashing on the shore, all the while chatting quietly about nothing all that important. Things were going well- peacefully, uneventfully but well.

The sky was getting dark, when Bobby pulled out a stringed instrument from the picnic basket.

"A lyre? Do you play?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah, of course- my dad gave it to me. I taught myself to play-"

"So you're an artist _and_ a musician?" I noted.

"I'm trying to be anyway- music's just a hobby. You must have tons of interesting hobbies being from the Minerva cabin." Bobby strummed his fingers over its strings playing a little tune.

"Not really… sort of- I like to draw out floor plans for houses and buildings and stuff, but that's not much of a hobby. If I can I'll make a career of it and become an architect."

Bobby played another tune, something melodic and light. "That's not a hobby though, you must do something to unwind and relax."

"Well, I can play the flute a little bit- my mother invented it and I play a mean game of chess- does that count?" I teased.

"A mean game of chess, huh? I'll have to challenge you sometime," Bobby said, laughing. "And the flute too? Maybe we could play a duet?"

I giggled. "As flattering as that is, I'm no musician."

Things were going so well… I guess I spoke too soon. The shore was silent –not a noise but that of the waves. I couldn't even hear the hellhounds down the shore anymore. That was not a good sign.

I suddenly got very alert.

"Annabeth? Something wrong?" Bobby asked, putting his lyre down.

"The hellhounds stopped barking…" I whispered listening harder for them- but it was quiet.

Bobby stood up, "I'm supposed to be on lookout. I'd better check this out."

I grabbed his hand and whispered, "I'll go with you."

Bobby said nothing to oppose me. He probably knew I'd end up going along no matter what he told me. I had a bad feeling about this, and put my free hand on the handle of my knife.

We headed down the dark shore, hand in hand. We passed the line of trees where the hellhounds should have been tied up only to find they had been cut free. Their rope leashes hung limply from the tree trunks.

"No wonder we didn't hear them…" Bobby murmured.

Further down the beach, we found them. The hellhounds- seven in total- were curled up on the ground. They didn't make a sound. We approached them cautiously. When we got close enough, we noticed the hound- all at least five feet tall and monstrous- weren't even breathing.

"Shoot! Something got them on my watch! Hazel and Gwen are going to kill me! I can't even think of what Lupa will say…" Bobby panicked.

"They won't kill you if we can stop it," I whispered.

"We don't even know what it is-"

"Does it matter? Someone's going to have to catch it or kill it either way."

Bobby looked at me a little concerned. He was concerned about there being a monster, above that though there was something else- Bobby eyes flashed back and forth between me and the dark shore. He wasn't going to bring me into a fight- not willingly anyway.

I started off down the shore, "Come on, we'd better hurry and get whatever it is that got the hellhounds."

Bobby bolted after me, he was trying to stop me, but by then he was too late.

I running when suddenly my feet got stuck on something- I thought I was going to fall, but I couldn't. I couldn't move my legs.

"Bobby! Don't move! I- I stepped on something and- I can't move!" I called.

"Annabeth! Wait! Let me help you!" he replied.

"No, listen! Don't move!" I looked down at my feet- it didn't look like there was anything there. I looked again- there were thin gossamer threads hanging from everywhere- like a net. But it wasn't a net- I recognized what it was and almost screamed out in disgust- it was a WEB! "Bobby, it's a trap! Watch your back, Arachne's here!"

I heard her before I saw her- the hideous spider hissed. "I've got you now_, filia Minervae_." I felt the webs tightened around me, wrapping up around my waist. I struggled with my arms, flailing about but soon enough I couldn't move those either.

"Damn it!" I remember saying when I felt the webs wrap around my throat. And that was all I could say. The webs constricted, squeezing my windpipe. I couldn't breathe- I gagged and tried crying out, no noise came. I remember thinking- what an awful way to die. I was wishing then I could have picked better last words. I was in pain- I could feel it slipping. I didn't want it to slip- I was on the edge, balancing on a cliff side between life and death. Suddenly, I slipped and remembered nothing more.

* * *

**Don't worry- the story is not over! Please read and review! I'd love to hear thoughts and ideas.**

** Gratias ago!**

**P.S.: Percabeth fans- don't worry! Like I said before, it's just one chapter.**


	18. Jealousy and Arrows

The next thing I remembered was coughing, gagging, and suddenly feel the rush of air push through my lungs. I opened my eyes- it was dark. _Was I dead? _I tried to remember what the Underworld looked like. No, this couldn't be it.

Then I heard, "Annabeth! Annabeth!"

I blinked. My head was throbbing- probably from the lack of oxygen. I gasped for more air, until I caught my breath.

Whoever had been calling me waited until I could breathe, before calling out my name again, "Annabeth!"

My sight refocused until I could make out a pair of green eyes staring into mine- they were fixed with concern. "Don't die on me now!" the voice muttered. I choked out a cynical laugh- I didn't think I was dead or dying, not by then anyway. _So, Seaweed Brain had come to my rescue once again._

I tried to speak but couldn't. My windpipe ached. Fortunately, I didn't have to say anything. Percy looked into my eyes- I was awake, alert, but couldn't speak. He understood that and grinned.

He turned his head and called to someone in the distance. I couldn't see who, but I could hardly care. Percy had rescued me and now I lay in his arms, speechless- what did I have to worry about?

"_Veni__ hic_ _cum __illa*_!" Another voice called. I recognized this voice- it was Bobby.

"In English, please!" Percy called back.

"Bring her over here! I can help!" Bobby replied.

Percy rolled his eyes and helped me to my feet. He put an arm around me to help me stand.

"So, she can stand? Are you sure she hasn't broken any bones?" Bobby snapped.

I raised a hand mutely as though to say I was alright, but that went ignored. I could see Bobby not too far away. His coat sleeve was torn, his eyes- bloodshot, and even in the low light I could tell he was covered in bruises. His sword was still drawn- it seemed it hadn't been an easy fight. Fortunately for me, Arachne was gone- whether or not she was dead was something I'd have to ask when I finally could.

"She's fine! She can't talk, but she's fine!" Percy growled. There was an obvious enmity between the two of them. I was fairly certain it hadn't been there before.

"How do you know that?"

"Trust me, I _know_-" Percy argued. I raised my hand to my throat trying to show I couldn't speak. Besides my throat, my knees felt bruised as well as my arms from where the web was strangling me.

"Take her to the Apollo Cabin- me and my siblings can help her recover-"

"Why the Apollo Cabin?" Percy groaned.

"Apollo's god of medicine- besides, I should help her. I was responsible for what happened to her-" Bobby fought.

Percy ignored him and lead me away.

_Where are we going?_ I attempted to say. It came out as a soft slur- incomprehensible. The words stung my throat, making me regret asking.

"What?" Percy asked- he didn't understand. He ushered me on, "Bobby is sadly mistaken if he thinks I would seriously ever bring you on my own free will to the Apollo Cabin," Percy muttered.

I looked at him confused- he understood what I was asking.

"You know exactly why! I'm not going to let Bobby anywhere near you. We're going to the Neptune Cabin- I'll have Gwen and whoever else can help come," Percy muttered. I didn't like his defensive tone- but it's not as though I could say anything anyway. Clearly, I had missed something- something that happened between Bobby and Percy today.

* * *

Within the hour, I was talking again. I sat down on Percy's bed- it was the only piece of furniture in the room other than a few fountains spurting out a continuous flow of water. Gwendolyn, Reyna, Hazel, and a few others came bringing nectar and ambrosia which helped almost immediately.

"Oh, my gods! What happened to you?" Reyna panicked.

When I was able to speak, I told her, "Bobby and I got surprise visit from Arachne."

"You don't see stuff like that all that often when you spend all your time gardening," another girl muttered to Reyna. With just a few swallows of nectar healed up my throat.

Hazel and Gwendolyn checked to make sure I didn't break any bones or anything- I knew I didn't, I probably would have noticed if I did. My knees were badly bruised, but they'd heal soon enough.

When I finally could, I asked Percy, "What happened? I couldn't have been unconscious for that long- I definitely missed something. Arachne was trying to kill me and then I wake up and you're there, Bobby's hurt, and Arachne's gone. What did I miss?"

"You didn't miss too much. I heard your screams and found you and Arachne, Bobby was there trying to fight Arachne, but I thought I should help- pulled out Riptide and fought off Arachne, we drove her down the coast and over the cliffs. Then we came back, I cut you out of the webs, and then you woke up," He rushed through the story as though there were a few things he didn't want to tell me about. Either way, I was glad the spider was finally gone.

Then the door flew open, Bobby rushed in. He ran to my side, "Are you okay? You _should_ have come to the Apollo Cabin."

"I'm fine, really!" I urged. "A couple bruises here and there but, I'll live."

"That's not the point," Bobby murmured, casting a glare at Percy. "We'd better go and inform Lupa of what's happened."

Percy nodded and followed Bobby out.

Once the boys were gone and out of earshot I heard: "Oooh, that was awkward." One of the girls who came along with Reyna broke the silence. The girl was older than the rest of us. She had long blonde hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. I didn't recognize her- but then again I hardly knew anybody here at Legion Camp.

"Who are you? I don't believe we've met, I'm Annabeth," I introduced myself.

"_Scio._ _Ego sum Calliope, __filia __Cupidinis_,**" the girl answered. I'd heard enough Latin over the last few days to actually understand that- most of it anyway. She was saying that her name was Calliope and she was the daughter of _Cupidinis?_ Then it hit me- Cupid, the Roman equivalent of Eros!

"Calliope? You met my friend, Luke?" I asked, making the connection.

"Luke? Oh, yeah, poor guy- whatever happened to him?" Callie asked a little concerned.

I shrugged, playing dumb.

"It's really a shame- I was thinking of shooting him with one of my arrows," she mentioned.

"Your arrows? Is that supposed to be a _nice_ thing?" I asked.

"Well, sure- that is if I pick the right arrow…" Calliope hinted.

"I think you play around with your father's arrows far too much," Hazel commented.

"Wait- What do you mean?" I asked quickly- rather confused.

"Cupid's arrows- the sharp ones make you fall in love, the dull ones will make you fall out of it," Hazel explained. "Callie's been playing with them a little too freely I think."

I laughed.

"I don't do any damage and besides my arrows only speed things along. There would have been a romance even without them!" Callie argued.

"Say whatever you want, but I still think it's cruel the way things are panning out!" Hazel fought back.

And I was out of the loop again. _What was going on?_

"Wh-who was the last person you shot?" I asked curiously, almost able to figure it all out.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "You should have learned from the story of Apollo and Daphne, _tu__, stulta puella Cupidinis_!***" Hazel looked to me to say, "they never learn!"

_What happened? _I gave Hazel a confused look.

"Just keep an eye out- you'll figure it out quickly enough," Hazel muttered.

* * *

**Footnotes/Translations: **

*****Come here with her!

** I know. I am Calliope, daughter of Cupid.

*** you, Cupid's foolish girl!

* * *

**Sorry about the wait! Hope you like this chapter- it's a little weird but will make sense soon enough. If you've got any ideas for me- I'd love to hear them, they are so helpful! Please, write a review- all comments and thoughts are helpful (if love it- tell me, if you hate- also, tell me). There are still ideas I'm trying to work into the story.**


	19. Kisses and Things to Come

I decided to wait back at the Neptune Cabin until Percy returned. Hazel, Reyna, Calliope, and Gwendolyn left. I was a little proud, Gwendolyn had been around the Neptune Cabin for a few hours and even while Percy was there- there was nothing between the two of them. I guess Percy had made up his mind…. I leaned back on Percy's bed, digging my head into his pillow. It smelled like him- not in a gross way, it was comforting.

It was late- I should have probably gone back to the Minerva Cabin. I stayed anyway- Percy hadn't come back yet. I'd leave once he got back, but for now I wanted to stay. I closed my eyes, exhausted. If Bobby was here or caught me dozing off, I'd had a feeling that he'd probably shake me awake afraid I'd go comatose from whatever brain damage he'd believe I had. But he wasn't here either, so I let myself doze off for just a moment- only a few minutes…

_I saw Luke, still in his purple t-shirt with a bloodstained bandage covering his shoulder. He had his head bowed and he was breathing heavily enough I could see it as white puffs like smoke in the air. I couldn't tell where he was- perhaps it was a street corner or maybe a forest- lots of vertical lines behind him, I couldn't make much of it. I saw an eagle whipping its wings through the air with its gold wings glinting as the sun hit them. I saw Luke look up- give a little smile and head off after it._

These dreams always mean something… _Luke was coming! _I woke suddenly, all that had only just been a dream. Percy had gotten back and was shaking me awake.

"Annabeth! Annabeth!" He cooed.

I blinked until I realized that it was Percy who woke me- once I figured that out I jumped, stumbling and nearly falling to the floor.

"Startled me," I whispered.

Percy smiled, "good morning," he joked and sat down next to me.

I smiled, sitting up and pulling my knees in to my chest, "How'd your meeting with Lupa go?" I asked Percy.

"Good, sort of… Bobby had to explain how he believes that he led you into danger and then how I came to rescue you, how we defeated Arachne." Percy told me. "Lupa also wants to meet with you tomorrow- once you're better- and recovered."

"Bobby still thinks it was his fault I got hurt?" I asked, troubled- that was all I heard in Percy's entire story. I panicked. I had done that myself- stupid, yes, but my fault and _only_ my fault. I cared about Bobby too much to let him think otherwise.

"Yeah- don't worry so much about that, please! Annabeth!" Percy pulled me towards him. "You've got _me_. It shouldn't matter what _he_ thinks!"

"But it does, Percy! Lupa kills anyone she feels disappointed in! If Bobby told her that everything was _his _fault- he could be in serious danger!" I shouted.

"Calm down, Annabeth, he's fine! He may act all concerned but he's bright enough to know when not to stick out his neck," Percy tried to comfort me. "Why are we even talking about him?"

"What I'm worried about is the things he may not be able to control- I have reason to believe Calliope shot him with one of her father's sharp arrows," I muttered.

"What? Callie's father- who's that again?" Percy asked.

"It's Cupid, Seaweed Brain. Eros, in Greek," I sighed.

"Like the actual Cupid's arrows?" Percy laughed in disbelief.

"Yeah- I'm pretty sure Callie shot Bobby-"

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know, I just _do_, by the way Hazel was talking about it, I just feel like they must have been talking about him," I muttered, suddenly beginning to doubt myself.

"Oh, so it's not as though you have proof- like an arrow sticking out of his back? How do you know I didn't get shot or some other guy around camp?" Percy tested.

I bit my lip, I didn't know- I hated not knowing, usually I knew but then I was at a loss for words. "I don't, I assume. At least it's not you…" I grabbed Percy's hand.

There was a moment of silence, Percy was thinking it over. He finally looked up and said oh-so lovingly, "And that's the _only_ reason he's been giving me a run for my money?" Percy teased.

"_No_, Calliope said he would have acted that way anyway- but he wouldn't be acting so brash- at least that's what I think she said…"

"That's just wishful thinking, Annabeth," Percy joked.

I pouted- half playing, half actually a little upset. I guess part of me wanted to believe Bobby's feelings were genuine- they had to be, didn't Calliope say they were? I could tell Percy didn't want to listen and I couldn't blame him. I changed the subject. "I had a dream by the way…"

"A dream? Was it one of the weird clairvoyant dreams?" Percy asked as I usually didn't talk about dreams unless they were those weird, clairvoyant dreams.

I nodded. "Luke is coming, he's on his way. I think either Thalia or Jason must be with him- there was an eagle there guiding him. It could mean anything but I just assumed."

Percy yawned- trying his best to be attentive and awake. "We're going back to Camp Half-Blood?"

I smiled, hopefully, "Yeah, I think so."

"Good," he whispered tiredly.

"I'd better get going… It's really late and we'd be in serious trouble if anyone caught me here," I smiled a little thrilled to admit the risks. I stood up.

"Alright," Percy yawned. "Goodnight, Annabeth." Percy stood up and lead me towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Then as I turned towards the door, Percy leaned in to stop me. Our lips met- it was the first time he'd kissed me in months. My heart jumped, excitedly. In that moment, I could forget about Gwen, forget about Bobby. The rest of the world didn't seem to matter. We parted.

"I really missed you, Seaweed Brain…" I whispered before darting away from the Neptune Cabin and out into the darkness.

* * *

I was on my way back to the Minerva Cabin, trying my best to stay in the shadows and as best as I could out of sight. I rushed between the rows of cabins, from the Neptune cabin to the isle between the Ceres and Apollo cabins.

Suddenly, something gripped my arm and tugged me back against one of the cabin walls. I yelped in surprise.

"Shhh!" a low voice cooed. "It's me- it's _me_!" I recognized the voice. It was Bobby. "I needed to talk to you- you shouldn't be out. It's past curfew and if you're caught Lupa has serious consequences for those who don't obey her rules, come inside!" he pulled me into the Apollo cabin.

The Apollo cabin was insane compared to the Minerva cabin. There must have been fifteen or sixteen kids around- none of which were sleeping. There were four or five working on canvases, a small team sculpting marble in a corner, and a small game of darts going on in the back of the room. Here and there were hospital cots, medical charts, and even a few skeletal diagrams. A few of Bobby's siblings looked up at me when I entered, but it was only a few. Most seemed busy with whatever work they had been doing.

"What do you think?" Bobby asked me.

"I-it's ah-a little crazy…" I stuttered, not entirely sure what he was looking for.

"Yeah, it's always like this… anyway- I needed to talk to you, about what happened-"

"It's okay, Bobby- Percy told me everything."

"Everything? I doubt that," Bobby scoffed.

"Why?" I asked a little curiously.

"He'd probably put his own spin on things- making himself seem so _heroic_," Bobby responded.

I shook my head, a little hurt, "you don't know him- he tells things pretty straight forward- and by the way, he didn't make much seem _that_ heroic…"

I turned to leave, when Bobby called out, "Annabeth, wait! I wanted to tell you something!"

I flipped my head around, "What?"

Bobby took a deep breath, "I wanted to say I was sorry- sorry I brought you into this whole mess tonight, sorry that I assumed I could keep you from getting involved, sorry I wasn't able to save you…"

I looked up at him with wide eyes. He didn't realize that it wasn't his fault, and it wasn't going to be easy convincing him otherwise.

"I wanted to tell you that nothing like this will ever happen again. I can protect you and I will," Bobby stated. "I'm never going to let anything hurt you again!" It sounded like an empty promise but his mind had to be in the right place and he thoroughly believed in his words.

I stood in the doorway thinking of what he was saying when he stepped towards me and kissed me. That was a surprise. Though it was nothing more than a quick touch of the lips, it was enough to make me pull back towards the door wordlessly. I was stunned and confused a backed up against the door with my hand groping blindly for the handle. Once I found it, I pulled the door open and left in a hurry.

* * *

"_My, my_, you were out late…" Hazel started the moment I stepped into the Minerva Cabin. "It's nearly two in the morning."

"Hazel, you wouldn't believe the night I've had…" I sighed. Hazel grinned- my drama and distress was her livelihood. We sat across from each other at the strategy table and I told her everything, plainly as I could putting no opinion to anything, just to see what Hazel would make of what happened.

"Oh. My. Gods." Hazel said when I finished telling her everything. "Things are worse than I thought."

"Hazel, what do you mean?" I asked. I knew she was only saying stuff like this because she wanted me to figure out things for myself, but I needed help.

"Just wait things out- like you said, Luke will be coming back soon to lead us back to New York," Hazel answered.

"What do you mean '_us_'?" I asked.

"Annabeth, surely you don't expect to just go on your way as soon as Luke comes back without all of us having some say in it?"

"You want to come to New York?"

"Of course, some of us should- especially since Percy mentioned there being a whole other army of demigods! That may be just what we need to fight this war against Gaea! We have to at least look into that possibility!" Hazel explained.

I nodded, hesitantly. I could see why Hazel felt the need to come- but her and other the other Romans coming to Camp Half-Blood seemed inconceivable, but I couldn't help but admit that Hazel did have a point and uniting Romans and Greeks had been mentioned before- so the concept wasn't entirely new, but still…

"We can discuss this with Lupa tomorrow- it'll be up to her to decide who's going," Hazel said.

"That reminds me- Percy told me I have a meeting with Lupa anyway."

"Do you know what it's about?" Hazel inquired.

"Percy didn't say, but it probably has something to do with what happened earlier today with Arachne," I muttered.

"Great, I'll meet you there once your meetings over- you should be there if we're going to talk strategy."

"Okay, I'll stick around- after all, what else do I have to do, training's over."

"Your training ended?" Hazel suddenly asked.

"Yeah, that's why Bobby and I had a picnic on the beach, to celebrate the end of training," I explained.

"I think I know why Lupa wants to meet with you tomorrow…" she paused, waiting for my attention, "she's going to test you."

* * *

**Hope you liked it- if you've got any ideas, anything you _need_ to happen- tell me, and it just may end up in the story. Please write a review, as always, review are helpful. _Gratias ago!_**


	20. By Bellepheron's Example

Later that morning, I met Lupa outside her cave.

"_You know why I called you here- do you not?"_ Lupa asked me.

I shook my head before speaking up, "I can't be entirely sure, but it must have to do with what happened with me, and Bobby, and Percy yesterday."

"_Not entirely, I have heard that you have trained well with Bobby, son of Apollo, and Dakota, son of Mars, and that you completed everything they feel apt to teach you._ _After what happened yesterday, I have decided that you must be tested,"_ Lupa showed her teeth.

"B-but I didn't actually fight Arachne…" I worried.

"_Don't show your fear! Stay strong- the weak won't last here, and I make sure of it,"_ Lupa snarled.

I took a deep breath and faced her, the snarling wolf. Her snarl faded.

_"Better. Your test will be this evening. The Venatio. Go- your trainers ought to have prepared you enough,"_ Lupa barked. This meeting was over. I took a step back.

Hazel came as soon as that was said and called back, "Not yet, Annabeth! Lupa I have a proposition for you based on new and more recent information."

_"Go on, pup,"_ she asked Hazel to continue.

"Percy mentioned a Greek demigod army in New York and as Annabeth and Percy hope to return to them eventually, it makes strategic sense to ally with the Greek army as we prepare for the coming war with Gaea. If we were to do this, we should accompany Annabeth and Percy on their trip back," Hazel explained, never wavering- she must have practiced what to say, I don't think I've ever heard her so focused.

"_Clever pup, your plans will be enacted. I shall assemble a team immediately," _Lupa yipped kindly.

Hazel nodded her head, "_Gratias ago_, Lupa."

Lupa bowed her head in reply before turning around and heading back into her cave. Hazel and I left shortly after to go to the Campus Martius. At the Campus Martius, we found Bobby and Dakota in the middle of a mock-duel. Dakota's sword slashed Bobby's away- apparently Dakota was the better swordsman.

When we were close enough to them, Hazel called out, "Annabeth is going to be tested!"

Both boys dropped their swords to the ground.

"When?" Bobby asked quickly.

"Tonight, it's the Venatio," I replied.

Bobby shot Dakota a worried glance.

"Something wrong?" I wondered aloud.

"We designed it, princess, that's what!" Dakota spat, frustrated. "And we didn't make it easy either."

"What is it then?" I hoped they'd tell me.

Dakota glanced over a Bobby- Bobby wasn't going to keep secrets like these from me. "The floor is a maze- comprised of eight foot walls. Inside that maze, we found a monster- a chimera, I bet you've seen them before." Oh, great, just my luck... I'll be fighting a chimera. How do I fight a chimera? A fire-breathing, lion-headed, serpent-tailed fiend that even in legend couldn't be defeated without help- Bellephron needed help. That gave me an idea- I didn't like this idea. It made me feel as though I was too reliant on both Bobby and Percy- but I'll go with it. I doubted I could come up with anything better.

"We should make plans and continue training if you're going to kill the Chimera," Bobby told me.

"No, I think I have an idea, it's a good plan if it works. If anything, I should practice archery," I replied.

"Archery?" Bobby wondered. He shrugged and went along with it as he quite liked archery. For the next few hours, Bobby and I worked on archery- perfecting my aim until the arrow hit the center of the bull's-eye nearly every time- and even then I was still uncomfortable with having to rely so much on archery.

Bobby watched me fire one arrow perfectly- it was the fourth one in a row like that. "Good, Annabeth, really good, I don't know how this is going to help you though. We're talking about a chimera. Shouldn't we work on swordplay or something?"

"No, Bobby, I know what I'm doing," I grumbled.

"Okay, I… I'm just a worried, and why shouldn't I be? You have to go into the arena and fight entirely on your own. Whatever happens in there, I can't do anything about it! I swore I'd never let you be in danger like you were yesterday, so I'm trying my best to uphold that promise. There is nothing I can do once you're in the arena…" Bobby feared for the worst. I bet he was thinking that I could possibly die in the arena- I'd bet a lot of former campers have. I couldn't stand seeing him like this. I looked into his eyes- his blue eyes were streaked with red as though he'd thought about crying- he didn't cry, didn't shed one tear. I could be thankful for that.

I reflected on that possibility for a moment. The chimera could very well kill me- especially if my plans fail. There would be no going back, _no second chances_. A chill ran down my spine. Spooked by the thought of dying, I dropped the bow to the ground and ran into Bobby's arms. He held me close, whispering soothingly into my ear, "There's still time, we can figure things out."

I nodded, "But first… I'm going to need a few things." I left his embrace and hurried away. I needed to find Percy.

* * *

I found him in the Forum chatting with one of the fauns.

"…A good friend of mine is a faun-err… satyr, actually, maybe you've met him- Grover Underwood?" Percy said in the midst of conversation.

The faun nodded merrily, "Ah, yes- he's my fourth cousin-"

I came running in, interrupting the faun, "Percy!"

"Hey Annabeth! This guy knows Grover!" Percy replied.

"We can talk about that later- but now- the venatio-"

"Oh, yeah, the venatio's tonight, we should go," Percy said obliviously.

"No, Seaweed Brain- I'm fighting _in_ the venatio!" I said, panicked.

"What? Why?"

"Lupa wants to test me to see if I worthy enough to join the Legion," I answered quickly. "I have to fight a chimera… and I need your help."

"Help? Sure, you know me, I'll do anything- what is it?" he asked.

"Do they have a stable here? I need a pegasus."

"Yeah, I've been there once before. It's on the main land, I'll take you there, why do you need a pegasus?"

"I'll explain later. But Percy- we don't have a boat," I sighed obliviously.

"Like that's ever stopped me before? We're swimming of course!" Oh… That's right. I'd forgotten about how it was to swim with Percy. I guess it had been a long time since I'd traveled anywhere with him.

Percy and I went to the island's cliffs along the southern edge. I took a deep breath looking over the edge and into the sea. The waves were crashing roughly against the cliffs. The sea breeze whipped my hair across my face. I grabbed Percy's hand. The mainland was only but a spec on the horizon.

"You ready?" Percy asked. "Jump on the count of three- One… Two… Three!"

I shut my eyes tightly and jumped. I could feel the air rushing around me as I fell. Then, we hit the water. Underwater, Percy took a deep breath. I did too- because of him, I could breathe. Swimming's a lot easier once the whole issue of breathing is covered.

We made it to the mainland faster than I expected. We stepped up onto a deserted beach. Beyond the beach was a dark and dense forest. "This is a wildlife preserve- that's why there should be no one here. The Legion camp figured it would be a good cover for the stables," Percy explained.

Percy led me through the forest until we found a barn. The barn was wooden and left unpainted. It was well hidden between the trees. I saw fauns wandering around with bales of hay and buckets. We were definitely in the right place.

We entered the barn. There were roughly fourteen or fifteen stalls in the barn, nearly all of which were filled.

"How was Blackjack doing?" Percy asked me.

That seemed like an odd question, but then again, he could talk to horses. I guess then it made sense that Percy saw Blackjack more as a friend than a pet. "Sorry, Percy. I'm not really sure. I hadn't thought about him too much," I told him.

"Oh," Percy left it at that. I didn't really know Blackjack like he did. "Why do you need a pegasus? What's your plans?" Percy changed the subject.

"You'll see," I muttered. I couldn't tell anyone because I didn't want anyone to talk me out of it. It wasn't the simplest idea and there certainly were risks.

Percy looked down the aisle to the stalls and asked the horses, "Who wants to help out in the venatio?" Percy got a response in a series of snorts, nays, and stomps. He made more of it than I could.

"Annabeth, we've got a winner!" he told me. He stopped in front of one of the stalls. "Her name's Stella."

I looked at the pegasus. She was a brown horse with white-speckled wings. She had a pink nose and shook her head to Percy.

"She says you're pretty and she would love to help you," Percy said.

"She did not!" I smiled.

"Yeah, she did- she's glad to help anyone as long as it isn't one of those… who?" He asked the horse. Stella snorted. "Oh, s_tulti__Martius__pueri_," Percy laughed- that was a term we both had learned.

"Why? Is Dakota bad with horses or something?" I asked.

Percy shrugged. Stella stomped her foot and whinnied excitedly.

"Yeah," Percy agreed- what he was agreeing with I didn't know.

We saddled up Stella and brought her out onto the beach.

"Can you carry us both, or should I swim?" Percy asked. The pegasus looked at him blankly for a moment. "How 'bout we race? Whoever can get to the Marina first wins!"

Stella whinnied and snorted. Percy picked me up.

"Whoa!" my head fell back onto his shoulder. I started laughing and he hoisted me up onto Stella's back.

"Let Stella do the driving herself and just hold on really tight, we're racing- me versus you and Stella-"

"You're on, Seaweed Brain!" I called back to him.

"Okay- we can start on my count of three. One…"

Stella began to beat her wings.

"Two…"

I pat Stella on the side of her neck and whispered. "Go! Go! Go!" Stella took off.

On the ground, I heard Percy calling, "Hey!" He didn't wait for us to come down, instead he dove into the water and started swimming.

"Go! Stella, go!" I whispered as the pegasus. She ducked her head and stampeded quickly through the clouds. "Hurry! Hurry!" Stella whinnied excitedly.

We touched down on the dock moments later. I dismounted. _We won!_ I cheered.

"Maybe next time, Annabeth and Stella," Percy muttered as he pulled himself up onto the dock. "It was a good race though- Stella's really fast."

"Good… but I can't actually bring her into the arena for the venatio-" I was interrupted when Stella stomped her foot and snorted.

"Stella says that you can whistle when you need her. She'll come and be ready," Percy translated.

"I probably should warn her, I'm supposed to fight a chimera…" I murmured. Stella neighed and raised her head. "I should probably get going. The venatio is going to start soon." I had only just started heading off towards the arena when I heard:

"Wait!" Percy called after.

I turned around.

"Annabeth- just one more thing. The venatio are dangerous- what's even more frightening is that you're facing a fire-breathing chimera. You're smart, so I know you'll be able to hide from the chimera; but I worry when it comes to actually facing it. Normally, I wouldn't but this is a venatio- one of you has to die for it to end. And I know you have a plan- but just in case…" Percy hugged me tightly. I hugged him back. Then I felt his arms slide down my waist, going further and further down until-

"Hey!" I snapped. "Give it back!" He had grabbed my Yankees cap out of my back pocket.

Percy held it out of my reach. "Since I doubt you're going to use it, I'd like to have it. It's just a little insurance, because if anything happens to you today, it's nice to know I can easily slip it on, go into the ring, and save you, and you wouldn't be disqualified because no one has to know," Percy explained.

"Fine, take it for now- I'm not going to need saving though," I stuck my tongue out at him confidently and turned towards the arena.

"Annabeth! One more thing- last thing…" Percy stepped towards me and kissed me. He pulled me in towards him and kissed me again. It gave me goose bumps. It was like the first time he kissed me- when we were in the lake back at Camp Half-Blood, underwater, when nothing at all seemed to matter, because the battle had been won and there was nothing left to worry about but each other. "Don't get yourself killed, Annabeth. I don't know what I'd do without you," he whispered as he let me go.

* * *

I met Bobby in the lower levels of the arena. There was a smaller version of the Armory down there, filled with armor and weapons. I put on my bronze helmet and black leather padding that would serve well as armor. Leather may have been weaker than metal but it was significantly lighter and much more flexible- I could use those qualities to my advantage. Bobby tried to convince me otherwise but eventually gave in- he tried to believe that I knew what I was doing.

"Annabeth, if you're not going to wear the armor, at least bring a sword- actually here, borrow mine! It's always served me well in combat. Let's hope it does the same for you," Bobby told me.

"You want me to borrow Brushstroke?" I wondered.

"Of course, you don't have a sword and you might need one," Bobby worried.

"Thanks, Bobby," I accepted it for now, putting it into my pocket- I doubted that I would need to use it, but I thought I'd throw him a bone and keep it just for the venatio. "What else do I need?" I asked myself. I strapped a quiver to my back and carried a bow. "How about a shield? Can I borrow one?"

"Of course, Annabeth, anything you need."

"How about a mirrored shield- you know, one that shows your reflection?"

"Yeah, no problem, there's got to be one around here somewhere." We searched through shelves until I found one that would work well enough.

"Thanks, Bobby, thanks for everything," I said to him.

"Good luck, Annabeth," his eyes were filled with worry and concern. He wouldn't mention the word 'die', not here anyway. Not here where death was no longer just a word but something that would be present today. It was some guest that spectators welcomed but we feared more than anything else. I turned my back to Bobby and faced the arena. "Be careful, Annabeth… I love you, so please- be careful!"

I didn't turn around, but continued on out of the arena. Did I just hear what I thought I heard him say? Oh, Jove, was this whole Cupid's arrows business getting aggravating. It was the arrows talking, I reasoned. I didn't believe that was true, but it made sense. The arrows exaggerated his feelings, I thought- that was a good thought, I'd stick with that idea for now.

* * *

I stepped out into the arena floor. The crowds cheered. I could hardly see much of the arena floor, there were brick walls placed every which way. This was supposed to be a maze. I couldn't tell if they had released the chimera yet. I assumed not. I glanced around at the arena's bleachers. In one of the front rows, I saw Hazel sitting with our half-sister, Hope, and Dakota gripping a box of popcorn, excitedly. Dakota was like a little kid- I could bet you that then at that time that he was thoroughly convinced I would win without a second thought. Whether he was right or not, I had to find out. Then there was Reyna and Gwendolyn sitting on either side of Calliope. I was furious with what Calliope had done so I quickly looked away- I could deal with that later.

Then Lupa raised her head out of one of the box seats, high in the bleachers. She howled and the crowd went silent. _"Welcome, my pups and my guests, to the Venatio! The game today will be the test for Annabeth Chase, daughter of Minerva. Her opponent shall be a fierce chimera. There is no guest judge as the rules are quite simple- the last one standing wins this Venatio. The chimera will be released at the sound of the horn. Thank you, all and enjoy."_

I couldn't breathe until the trumpet sounded. Once it did, I couldn't stop my heart from racing. I rounded the corner of the first brick wall, then the second, glad I hadn't seen the chimera yet. By the third turn in the brick walls, I knew I must be getting near the center. I'd have to be more careful now. This time I pressed my back to the brick wall. I raised my shield and held it out into the turn. I studied the reflection on it until I decided that the path was clear and I could continue.

I repeated this whole process again and again.

Then once, when I held out my shield, I didn't even have time to see the reflection as suddenly it was engulfed in flames. I dropped the smoldering shield and ran in the opposite direction, back down the path I had followed. The chimera had found me and had begun to pursue.

Now to put my plans into action. I whistled as loudly as I could while running. The chimera heard me whistle and knew where I was. I darted off again rushing through the maze as quickly as I could, going down any path just to escape.

Then I turned down an unfortunate path- _a dead end!_ The chimera was coming, there was no place to run, no place to hide.

All of a sudden, from the sky, I heard the flapping of wings. _Stella!_ Hope to the gods it wasn't too late. Stella dropped into the maze landing at my side. I climbed into her saddle. The chimera was still running at me. I raised my bow, preparing with an arrow to fire. At the same time, I saw the chimera's hideous snout raised to expel another shot of flames. I shut my eyes and fired.

I opened my eyes when I heard the sound of Stella flapping her wings and the groans of the chimera. Stella and I were roughly fifteen feet from the ground, beneath us the chimera cast another breath of blazing fire up at us. The flames couldn't reach us at this height. I could see my arrow in the chimera- it had gone straight through its snout.

I pulled another arrow from my quiver and fired again, down at the chimera. This arrow pierced its backside. Stella flew in circles above the arena floor, giving me enough time to shoot at the chimera. After about the seventeenth shot, the chimera fell to the ground, bellowing in its defeat. Its golden blood seeped out onto the arena floor and the Venatio ended.

The crowds cheered. Stella landed in the center of the maze. I dismounted and removed my helmet letting my blonde hair cascade out and over my shoulders.

Lupa barked to silence the crowd before she spoke. "_Congratulations, daughter of Minerva. You have won. You may not have fought the chimera as I expected, but you used your gifts of wisdom and strategy to overcome these obstacles, because of this, I am extending you an invitation to join the Legion. I understand that you are a part of a different army, however I declare you to be a pup of mine and worthy enough to be part of the Legion. The invitation will stand for as long as needed. Independent of whatever decision you make, you now and always will be under the protection and in alliance with the Legion."_ The crowd cheered.

Percy met me out on the arena floor, he appeared, holding my Yankees cap. "Thank the gods you're smart and could come up with some fool-proof plan," he said to me.

I laughed, "it was hardly fool-proof, it just worked."

"Could have fooled me."

"A lot of things could fool you, Seaweed Brain," I teased.

"But, seriously, that was awesome." Percy changed the subject, "are you ready to get your tattoo?"

"Do I have to get it now?" I asked.

"I did, so I guess so."

"Let's do it then- you're coming with me, right?"

"Of course," Percy responded.

* * *

Two hours later, Percy and I were sitting in the Forum.

"That was lot worse than you made it sound," I complained.

"Yeah, it was pretty painful- it'll be over soon," Percy tried to comfort me.

I looked over my new tattoo. One vertical line and the picture of an owl. No S.P.Q.R.- not for now anyway. "But what about next year? Won't they have to add another line to it- for two years?"

"No, I asked about that. Once you get the tattoo, that's it, the ink will change as needed- or at least that's what I've heard. So next year, it will automatically change to two bars, the year after, three, and so on," Percy explained.

"Oh, good, no more needles then!" I sighed.

The evening air was calm, most of the other campers had already gone off to their cabins making camp seem deserted. The Forum was empty, except for Percy and I. It was quiet enough that we could hear the waves crashing against the shore and the wind ruffling the leaves on the trees. …Or at least I thought it was the wind ruffling the leaves of the trees- that seemed logical except, there was no wind.

Hmmm…. I stopped talking for a moment and headed towards the tree.

"What is it Annabeth?" Percy asked from behind me. He followed me.

"Shhh!" I quieted him. I pointed up at one of the trees- I swore there must have been something up there. I went to the trunk of the tree and looked up into the branches.

Surely enough, there was a familiar face staring down into mine.

"Nico?" Percy recognized him too.

"Shh…" Nico replied, raising one finger to his lips. "Percy and Annabeth, come with me! We're here to rescue you!"

* * *

**Little longer than usual, hope you like it. And as usual, if you have any ideas for the following chapters, I'd love to hear them. Please write a review! Gratias ago!**


	21. And They All Came Back

"Rescue us? What are you talking about? Why are you here? I thought Luke was coming." I asked quickly. Why wasn't Luke here?

"Gods! Real thanks I get…" Nico replied.

"No, Nico, thanks for coming. I think Annabeth is just a little disappoint that Luke isn't here yet," Percy stepped in.

From up in the tree, another voice called out, "I'm here too!" I couldn't see them, whoever they were, stuck behind Nico. The voice shouted, "Move it, Ghost boy!" giving him a quick shove.

Nico lost his grip on the branches. "Whoa!" He slid down the trunk of the tree. "Ouch! That hurt! …It's _Ghost King_, by the way!"

"Like I'd ever call you_ king_?" the voice in the tree barked back.

"You'd better watch your back, Ari-"

A kid in a helmet jumped down from the tree. The kid removed their helmet revealing it was a _girl_. She combed her short black hair back with one hand and said, "Or what, Nico? You'd never hurt a _girl_!"

"Ari, who are you kidding? You're hardly a girl- you're a _hunter_!" Nico responded as he started to pick himself up.

The black-haired girl growled and struck Nico over the head with her helmet.

"Ouch!" Nico whined.

That didn't stop 'Ari'. She walked right up to me and Percy and held out a hand to me to shake. "Ariadne Solari, pleased to meet you, Miss Annabeth Chase!" She didn't shake hands with Percy or even acknowledge him at all. "We'd better hurry, there's a boat waiting down the cliffs."

"No, not so fast! We can't just leave!" I answered quickly. "Lupa and the rest of Legion camp know we're going back to Camp Half-blood. They intend to help us against Gaea."

"What?" Nico asked rubbing the back of his head where Ari had hit him.

"It's just a day or two at most- my sister was making plans to come on behalf of the Legion," I stuttered.

"You have a sister here?" Was all Nico got out of it.

"A half-sister," I rolled my eyes. "Who else came with you?" I was hoping the rest of their little search party might be more reasonable.

"Um… there's me- obviously. Luke, Thalia, her brother- did you know she had a brother?"

"Yeah, I did, who else?" I pushed him on. Percy shot me a confused glance as though asking,_ really? Why didn't you tell me?_

"Err… Some girl who's all buddied up with Thalia's brother… oh and then there's also the hunters and Artemis-"

"That's _Lady_ Artemis to you," Ari corrected.

"Whatever!" Nico rolled his eyes. "One more day you said you need?"

"Yeah, we can talk to Lupa and I'm sure she'll give you all a place to stay for the night," Percy told them. "They have cabins for each god just like back at Camp Half-Blood."

"Alright- if there's a cabin for Artemis, I'm in!" Ari jumped. While Ari was jumping, I noticed how short she was- she was probably only thirteen or fourteen years-old. That made me wonder how long she had actually been a hunter- I seriously doubted that it had been long as she still acted like a thirteen year-old girl. "Come on, Nico!" Ari pulled Nico to his feet and dragged him into the shadow of the tree. "Back to the cliffs, NOW, _boy_!" Ari commanded.

Nico teleported away.

* * *

They came back twenty minutes later. I saw Luke first and without hesitation ran to him and gave him a bear hug. "Luke!" I cheered, no need for any other words.

"Annabeth, I missed you, I was so worried something would happen to you-" Luke always did think of me as some little girl- I liked that from him.

I saw Percy looking through the crowd until he found a familiar face- Thalia! He went and greeted her. I guess I hadn't thought about how everything had changed since he'd been gone.

"What's this?" Luke saw the tattoo on my arm. He reached down and touched it. I winced drawing my arm back. "What did you do?"

I bit my lip- Tartarus! Was this tattoo painful! Fortunately, Percy answered for me. "Lupa had her tested while you were gone. It was a venatio rather than a gladiator fight."

"What the Hades is a venatio?" Luke asked, obviously angry about the tattoo.

"A beast fight," I got out.

"What happened? I knew leaving was a bad idea," Luke put the blame back on himself.

"I fought and killed a chimera on my own- for the most part…. I won so Lupa gave me this tattoo- it shows I am in alliance with the Legion. It also means the Legion will help us," I explained.

"Your part of the Legion?" Luke snapped.

"In alliance with the Legion," I corrected, "not part of it."

"Good…" Luke muttered. "So, what's the deal? Are we staying here tonight?"

"Yeah, Annabeth and I are going to talk to Lupa. You should all probably come with us. Lupa can be kind of picky, so it's best we don't upset her," Percy answered.

* * *

We came to the entrance of Lupa's cave. She must have heard us coming or something- it's almost scary how she just seems to know, but anyway Lupa was waiting outside by the time we arrived.

"Lupa, the other Greek demigods have arrived. We intend to leave tomorrow, with permission- that is," Percy said respectfully.

"_Permission granted, pup. I have assembled a team to accompany you. Set off tomorrow at dawn. If I hear of anything happening along the way- and I will- a second team will set out after you. They will be armed and ready to fight or kill, depending on the circumstances. Remember this- betrayal and treachery are considered the greatest crimes to the Legion. You may go on your way, bring the demigods to their respective cabins and farewell,"_ Lupa announced to the group of us. She then slipped away into her cave.

Although neither I nor Percy knew where all of the cabins were or which one was which, we tried our best to get everyone to the right place- even if that did mean walking in on the Somnus cabin twice, not that they would notice anyway, and then the Cupid cabin once too. We got a good glare from Calliope and a few of her siblings came at us with arrows- fortunately for us I don't think anyone was shot. It wasn't our faults though- the cabins were all so uniform only differing by the symbol above the door, what made it confusing was throwing in every minor god's symbol into the mix- I couldn't believe how many of them had arrows for symbols.

Percy and I found the Venus cabin first and dropped off Piper first. Jason waved her goodbye. After she disappeared inside the cabin, Percy asked, "Who was that? My memory's still bad, should I know her?"

"No, don't worry, you don't know her," I told Percy. "Her name's Piper. She's Jason's girlfriend? Friend? I don't even know, I can't keep up with them."

"Wait- is this the same Jason who disappeared a couple months ago from here?" Percy asked.

"Yep, one and the same, he's Thalia's brother. I don't really know how Thalia ended up with a Roman brother, but oh, well, stranger things have happened."

"Wasn't he also Reyna's boyfriend?" Percy asked.

"I don't really know- like I said, I can't keep up with them."

Jason was still with us. He looked around- he probably knew this place better than I did even with his memory as it was. He kept quiet for the most part- almost everyone did. We passed the Mars cabin, when I was reminded of something.

"Hey, Luke! What happened to bringing Clarisse along?" I asked him.

Luke thought for a second and looked to Thalia. Both of them burst out laughing.

"What happened?"

Thalia waved me off, "You had to be there."

Luke shook his head, still smiling, "She didn't feel up to coming."

We were passing by the Apollo cabin when, I turned to Percy and said, "What here just a second, would you?"

He didn't anything, but I knew he's wait and have everyone else stay there too. I knocked on the door of the Apollo Cabin. Bobby answered. "Hey, Annabeth!"

"Hey, Bobby, I just thought I would come by to return your sword, Brushstroke…" I pulled the X-Acto knife out of my pocket. There was more I wanted to say, but was at a loss for words- how could I tell him I was leaving?

"That's it?" Bobby asked skeptically. "There was no hurry to get it back to me, you know."

"Umm… no." This was more difficult than I thought it would be, "I-I ca-came to tell you I'm leaving," I stuttered.

"Leaving? What are you talking about?" Bobby wondered.

I stepped back letting him see the others- Percy, Nico, Thalia, Luke, the hunters, and Jason.

"Oh…" Bobby sighed. "Back to New York?"

I nodded. He took the X-Acto knife and said nothing more.

"Come on!" Nico called out obnoxiously.

I turned towards them. "Wait! Annabeth, when are you leaving?"

"First thing tomorrow morning…" I muttered before heading away.

I went back to Percy and the others. Immediately, Thalia swept around to my side. "What was that?" She snapped.

I shook my head, "it was nothing."

Thalia looked at me doubtfully. "Let's just get back to the cabins." Luke found his way to the Mercury Cabin. We found the Diana Cabin next to the Minerva Cabin. Percy offered to take the "Big Three" kids back to their cabins. I was stuck with the hunters to help them settle into their cabin.

The Diana Cabin was dark and dusty, yet surely enough there was Diana's symbol- the crescent moon- hanging on a shield above the door. "This is it?" Ari groaned.

"It might still be nice," I tried.

"Good thing Lady Artemis isn't here," Ari grumbled. I pulled the door open with a forceful push. The door flew open, crashing against the wall inside. I stepped in first and felt around the wall for a light switch. I flipped the lights on.

"This isn't so bad…" I was trying to sell it to them. Thalia looked at it curiously. The room looked like a log cabin, between the windows, the walls were lined with racks for bows, arrows, spears, and shields. On the floor there was a dusty lion skin rug- it's face still held a sarcastic snarl. There were arm chairs covered in leather pelts all positioned around an enormous fireplace.

"Wow…" Ari whispered. "Maybe this won't be so bad…"

"It's amazing… Phoebe, I think we'll have to crash here more often," Thalia whispered to another hunter.

"Just remember, we're leaving at dawn tomorrow," I reminded.

"Sure, sure," Ari shrugged me off. She climbed up a latter in the back of the room that lead up to a loft over-looking the first floor, I doubted that she would just climb into bed but oh, well, she's a hunter- she can live without sleep for a night, I supposed.

I wandered out of the Diana cabin and found myself in the Minerva Cabin. Hazel was sitting at her strategy table, drawing out a new map. Toby stood behind her looking over her shoulder. He muttered something in Latin while pointing out the map- probably correcting her or something. Hope was in the back of the room doing math problems on the chalk boards.

"_Salve_, Sis," Hazel acknowledged me. "Something wrong?"

I collapsed into a chair at the table. "Yeah… I'm leaving tomorrow."

"What? Luke came back?" Hazel cheered for me.

"Yeah, him and a few friends of mine."

"Why so glum, then? I thought you'd be glad- wait! Don't tell me- this is about Bobby!" Hazel jumped excitedly.

"No!" I defended. "It's nothing like that!"

"What is it then?" Hazel asked.

"Well, I've been here a while- I think I might miss Legion Camp a little, everyone speaking Latin, and the Roman names," I had grown to be fond of it.

Hazel shrugged sympathetically, "I'll start packing in a minute."

I gave her a questionable glance.

"I'm going, remember?"

Then suddenly, there was a BOOM, a noise so loud the ground seemed to shake. "Whoa… What was that?" Toby worried. Even little Hope stopped writing and looked around.

"That sounded like it was from outside-" Hazel suggested.

I took a deep breath. I could already bet where the noise was from. I hurried outside and went next door- the Diana cabin. When I found it, the door was ajar. I peered inside to find utter chaos. Arrows flew across the room. I saw Ari- bow in hand, fire a flaming arrow across the room. Then shouts like, "_Perite, ferae malae_!*" and "Go to Hades!"

"What is it?" Hazel must have followed behind me. I pushed the door open further to find out. What I saw I was totally unprepared for- it looked like a slumber party gone horribly wrong. Feathers were everywhere, an armchair was on fire. Teen-aged girls were everywhere, half of which were wearing pajamas, but all of them clutched weapons. Ari held a flaming arrow in her bow. Thalia stood with one foot up on the loft's railing with a spear pointing down. Then I saw a familiar face- Bellatrix. She hit some unsuspecting hunter over the head with her shield. Aurora was across the room, adorned in her usual bob-cat hood, pulling another girl's hair. The door _clanked _when it hit the wall and suddenly all eyes fell on me and Hazel. The fighting paused. The hunters lowered their weapons.

"Hazel! What are they doing _here_?" Bellatrix growled, "This is _our_ patron's cabin!"

Hazel shrugged and turned to me for help.

"It's their cabin, too." I tried explaining.

"Zip it, traitor! I want to hear from Hazel!" Bellatrix snapped.

"No, no! Listen to Annabeth," Hazel defended. "She's right."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

"It's just for one night, Bellatrix, we're leaving at dawn tomorrow, and besides this _is_ their cabin." I announced, "Hunters of Diana, meet the Hunters of Artemis."

* * *

**Footnotes:**

*Perish, wicked beasts!

* * *

**Hope you liked it. As always, if you've got any ideas- things you just need to have in the story (specific scenes, characters, places, etc.) I will try my best to add them in. As usual, please write a review! Gratias ago! **


	22. Last Day, Violence and Vines

I rolled out of bed the next morning already knowing this was going to be a bad day. Even after I settled things at the Diana Cabin, the noise didn't die down until two in the morning. I put on the gray shirt Hazel lent me, figuring if she was coming, I'd have plenty of time to get it back to her. I packed up my stuff- my purple Legion camp t-shirt, my Yankees cap, Daedalus's laptop, and my wooden sword from completing Lupa's test. I carried my backpack to the curb outside the Minerva Cabin. The hunters' luggage was all already outside their cabin, though I couldn't be entirely sure who put it there or who's things they were- Hunters of Artemis or Hunters of Diana. It was still dark out, but we were to leave at first light, so I must not have been late.

I left my backpack at the curb and went off to the Dining Hall, if the fauns were already up, they might be making breakfast. I hoped they had French toast- that would be nice on my last day here. At the Dining Hall, much to my surprise there was already a small crowd- not a normal crowd of various demigods but more specifically, the Artemis/Diana fiasco in its true form. Thalia and the Greek hunters sat on one side of the hall while Bellatrix and the other Roman hunters sat on the other. I marched straight up to Thalia and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Avoiding those _harpies_ as best I can," Thalia shot back at me.

I rolled my eyes, "Try to be nice- they're not that bad. I traveled with them on the way here," I pleaded.

"Nice?" Thalia snorted. "That one in the red cape called you 'traitor'!"

I groaned, "That's a long story- apparently the Legion has a different set of priorities than I do."

"Your priorities- now that's an interesting topic," Thalia hinted. "Let's talk about those."

"What do you mean?" I didn't like where this was going.

"Like _who_ was that boy you were chattin' with yesterday? I would have thought your _priorities_ would have been focused on getting Percy back to Camp Half-Blood," Thalia argued. She was asking because she was concerned the way a sister would be- not so much Hazel, but you get it.

"They are set on bring Percy back to Camp Half-Blood… _were anyway_… His name is Bobby," I admitted, the truth would have come out anyway with her, so might as well just stick with it. "He trained me for Lupa's test."

"That's not just it though, I know you well enough to know when you're not telling the whole story."

"The whole story…? Do you even want to hear it?" I winced. Thalia nodded quickly, so I told her- I'd have to. "Alright…So Bobby was my trainer for a little while. When I first arrived here, Percy didn't know who I was, but that was no real surprise since Jason didn't remember anything a few months ago. Bobby tried to help me get through that, especially when Percy and Luke were called to be in a gladiator fight against each other. He really helped. Then I finished training eventually and Bobby wanted to celebrate. We ended up having a picnic on the beach- I didn't plan for things to be like that- you have to understand. Then we were attacked by Arachne, fortunately Percy's memory kicked in and he rescued me from Arachne- Arachne nearly killed me. Since then, things have been awkward. Percy's memory's mostly back and he remembers that he does actually care about me… And also, somewhere along the way, I'm pretty sure Bobby was shot with one of Cupid's sharp arrows and because of that has been acting brashly." I tried to sum things up as best I could without getting into any other details- details like Bobby kissing me, saying that he loves me, and the sudden resentment of Percy.

"Oh," Thalia laughed; she tried to contain herself- wanted to be serious but apparently the whole Cupid's arrows things had gotten to her. She giggled trying her best to stop. "How do you guys even get a hold of Cupid's arrows?"

"There's always a way…" I grumbled.

Thalia kept laughing. I looked away. I noticed Dakota had entered. He stood still, his eyes searching around the room frantically before he called out, "Aurora!"

Across the room, I heard Aurora groan, "_Eheu__, __minime__, me __invenibat!__(1)"_

Dakota definitely heard, but I doubt that mattered. He jumped excitedly ran to Aurora and hugged her. I saw Aurora squirm and growl trying to get out of his grip. Dakota didn't seem to care, it seemed he was just glad his sister was back. "Hey Princess!" Dakota called me over excitedly, "Come meet my sister!"

I had already met Aurora, I had even already told him that I had met Aurora, but he seemed to just want to show others he did in fact have a sister. I headed over to the Roman hunters' table anyway. "Hi, Aurora," I greeted curtly.

"_Nata Minervae (2)_, you again?" Aurora snarled. "Ever find that _boy_ you were looking for?"

"Of course, I did, Aurora- on my own too, no thanks to your help," I snapped back at her.

Dakota was listening in, "You came here_ just _for Percy?" He sounded a little insulted.

"Yeah, she's real clingy like that," Aurora inserted.

"Am _not_!" I defended. I took a step back and thought about the argument. "It's not even worth arguing with you Aurora- I'm leaving today anyway."

"_Tace__, ignora puella_! _Eo item (3),__" _ Aurora barked. Oddly enough, I could understand that and I didn't like what I was hearing.

"You're leaving? Back to New York? And you too? Aurora you just got here!" Dakota whined. It was weird seeing him like this- actually pouting over his sister and acting more immature than usual. I could see a little why Aurora resented him.

"Of course, we're going to the Greek camp,_frater__ parvus (4)_," Aurora told him.

"Why are you coming again? I think we can manage ourselves with the Hunters of _Artemis."_

"Oh, really? It didn't seem that way when you were running from some little hydra!"

Dakota cut in, "Wait! Annabeth- what did you say to Bobby? You did tell him you were leaving, right?" Concern washed over his face.

"Of course I told him-"

"How'd he take it?"

"He didn't say anything," I responded bluntly.

"Annabeth! News like that's got to crush him! How could you do that to him?" Dakota panicked.

"Wait just a second- something happened between _her_ and Bobby?" Aurora hooted. "Ha! You are definitely no hunter! Though you might just have to become one to get rid of him."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not like that."

"Ooooh," Aurora played, "You actually have feeling for him?" She said that a little loudly- loud enough to perk the entire table's interest. I crossed my arms. "So what is it?" Aurora goaded.

I thought up what to say cautiously, "I definitely have strong feelings… I just haven't decided if they're positive or negative yet."

Fortunately, Percy came into the Dining Hall. Perfect timing, I needed backup.

He walked up behind me and said, "Morning, Wise Girl." Just him being back gave me butterflies, calling me that old nickname always did that. I stood up and put an arm over his shoulder.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain," I whispered in his ear. Then I turned my head to face the rest of the table, "Percy, meet the Hunters of Diana, they came in last night after you left with Jason and Nico back to your cabins."

"Hi…" Percy said hesitantly. They were all staring daggers at him, I didn't expect him to say much.

"So you were the one she was obsessing over?" Bellatrix spoke up.

Percy blushed. "I wouldn't say obsessing…" I whispered to him.

Luna, the Roman hunter, was sitting at the edge of the table near me. She spoke up, "Nice job, Annabeth- he's actually pretty cute!" Another one of the girls shot her a glare, she replied with, "Just 'cause I said some vow doesn't mean I can't still look."

I burst out laughing and apparently was the only one. Percy's face turned bright scarlet with embarrassment and Aurora and Bellatrix glowered.

"Are you ready to go?" Percy asked me, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, I'm all packed up, we just need to wait for Lupa's team to come in and tell us they're ready to leave," I replied.

We sat down at a different table, apart from both groups of hunters.

"I'm sorry about them- they can be a little embarrassing," I told Percy.

Percy laughed, "A little. Just one thing- _obsessing_?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled, "I was not obsessing! I admit I was a little worried about you- and I did have that picture of us. I showed it to Luna- the hunter that said you're cute- she was the only friend I made traveling with the hunters."

"Are we going to have to put up with them for long?"

"Unfortunately, I think so- they're supposed to come with us," I muttered.

"At least we're going back to Camp Half-Blood," Percy whispered cheerfully.

I smiled, "That's true. Also, you'll get to see Blackjack again."

"Yeah, I know, and you know just how ecstatic I am to see Clarisse too," Percy joked.

I giggled, "What do you think Chiron will say about our tattoos?"

Percy shrugged, "I doubt he'll think too much of it."

Suddenly, Nico bolted into the Dining Hall; he hid between Percy and me. "You gotta help me, man!" He whispered to Percy. "This girl is gonna kill me!"

It wasn't much of a surprise then when Ari came running in next with a dagger raised. "Get back here, Ghost boy!"

"What did you do?" Percy asked.

Nico ducked under the table and out of her sight, "It all started when she wanted me to raise her fish from the dead twenty minutes ago. She had a knife, she's threatened me with it, in one way or another, every day on the way here- so I listened. I humored her and raised the stupid fish- and guess what- She says it's the wrong fish! It's not like I could tell! When they're dead and all bones, they all look the same anyway!"

"And now she's after you? Just fight her off-" I suggested.

"No, don't fight her- we're going to be stuck with the hunters until we get back to camp," Percy disagreed.

"Good point, don't fight then," I added.

"So what do I do?" Nico panicked.

"Just hide for now, bide your time- she'll calm down eventually," Percy tried.

Nico bit his lip and ran. I saw a dagger fly passed his head and Ari shouted, "There you are!"

Percy and I started laughing once he was gone- Nico could handle himself.

* * *

Hazel came to the Dining Hall after we finished eating breakfast. "Ready to go?" She wondered.

"Is Lupa's team ready? I think just about everyone else is," I answered.

"Yeah, we should be ready, the boats to get back to the mainland is being prepared as we speak," Hazel replied gleefully. She'd been waiting for a chance to get out of this camp for a while- she'd been planning long enough.

"Great!" Percy clapped his hand together. "I guess Annabeth and I better go get our bags then. We'll meet you at the dock."

Hazel agreed and went on to trying to get the hunter's moving.

* * *

As Percy and I headed towards the cabins, I started skipping. I couldn't help it- I was happy, I was leaving. Things could actually be good- really good actually, better than they were over the summer- Luke was back, Thalia was around, Percy was mine. I was happy, there's little else to explain it. We came to the Minerva Cabin first. Percy picked up my backpack and swung it over his back. On our way over to the Neptune Cabin, we spotted Jason.

Percy and I stayed quiet and watched from a distance. He was talking to Reyna and the conversation didn't seem to be going over well. I could tell there were tears rolling down Reyna's cheeks. Her curly brown hair seemed to fall flat around her face. She sniffled. We saw Jason extend an arm of apology. Reyna turned away. Jason pleaded again it seemed. I wanted to get closer, perhaps even hear what they were talking about. I motioned to Percy and pulled out my Yankees cap. He nodded. I slipped on the cap, vanishing before stepping in closer. I heard Reyna shout, "I can't believe you're doing this to me again Jason! You would say you were so happy being with me and then you turn around and do stuff like this? First with Callie- now some Venus girl?"

Then I saw Jason rub his head and say, "Reyna, I don't even know who this 'Callie' is why do you keep blaming me? As for Piper- Piper's a close friend."

"A close friend?" Reyna sobbed. "I doubt that Grace! I seriously doubt that."

"Why don't you believe anything I say, Reyna?"

"'Cause you're lying!" Reyna growled. I noticed the grass around her feet had begun to grow higher- when she shouted a weed popped up from the ground.

"Reyna! I'm not lying- I don't lie. I've had amnesia for months and now just as my memory is starting to come back, you can't just start blaming me for things I either know I didn't do or things I can't remember!" Jason pleaded.

"Jason Grace- I don't even care anymore… Do whatever you want with that Venus girl- see what I care!" Reyna wept.

"Reyna, stop it, please- obviously you do care and I don't want to hurt you-" Jason tried.

"Just go, Jason! Leave, NOW!"

"Come on, Reyna, I know you don't mean that…"

"Watch me!" Reyna howled. Suddenly vines sprung up from the ground and wove around Jason's legs and up passed his hips. The vine grew quickly until Jason couldn't move. With that done, Reyna marched off.

"Reyna! Please," Jason sighed, stuck in his vegetable prison.

I pulled off my hat. Percy had moved closer too and heard most of the argument. I put my head on his shoulder, "At least we were never that bad off," I laughed, though I knew that we were seriously lucky.

"Yeah, really," Percy agreed, "Though something tells me if you suddenly got angry, you probably wouldn't use a garden-grown prison like Reyna."

"Hmph… You don't know that," I teased.

Percy grinned before saying, "I guess we'd better help the poor guy out of there."

We stepped forward and I asked Jason, "What happened?"

He kept it simple, "Reyna happened."

I gave him a kind smile. "Do you need help getting out of there?"

"No, I think I got it, just stand back, both of you," Jason announced. Percy and I took a step back and Jason unleashed his sword which tore through the plant stems. Then Jason turned to Percy, "Have we met before? I saw you last night, but I couldn't be sure."

"No, I don't think we have," Percy speculated.

"You haven't- or at least not to my knowledge anyway," I clarified for them.

"Good, I guess my memory's not that terrible then- my name's Jason, Jason Grace," Jason introduced himself to Percy. "Son of Jupiter."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon," Percy responded.

Jason walked with me and Percy down to the Neptune Cabin. Percy picked up his bags and we headed down to the marina.

At the marina, there was a ferry ship already waiting for the demigods headed back to Camp Half-Blood. The three of us boarded finding it was almost already full. Jason found a seat next to Piper, leaving Percy and me to ourselves to find seats. We did eventually find seats- it required some pushing, shoving, and a couple threats involving knives, but we did find seats.

Once seated, I took a moment to look at the demigods around me- I hadn't noticed who they were, sure it was the hunters of Diana/Artemis – who sat apart from each other- and then Luke and Nico. But then I saw Reyna, with her eyes still red from crying, beside her was Hazel, then _Gwendolyn_. I gritted my teeth. Why did she have to come along? I tried to put her out of my mind, _Percy had told her he had feelings for me- enough to trump everything he'd thought of her_. I reassured myself, but even still I was uncomfortable with her being there.

Then I saw Dakota board the ferry. "No seats?" he pouted. He crossed his arms but stood anyway. What worried me most though was that at Dakota's side was, as always, _Bobby._

* * *

**Footnotes:**

1. No! Alas, he found me!

2. Daughter of Minerva (just a different way to say it)

3. Quiet, ignorant girl! I am going as well.

4. Little brother

* * *

_**Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, hope you enjoyed it. There is more action and drama to come. Please, write a review. And as always, any ideas for the upcoming chapter such as places, new/old characters, or other general plot twists and events- I'd love to hear your ideas, I already have used a few. Gratias ago!**_

_**PS: I drew a map of the Legion Camp, it's a little late, but I figured it might have been helpful- it's posted as a link on my Profile page if you'd like to see it. **_


	23. Promises and Pythons

_**Warning: this chapter does contain some violence- nothing worse than previous chapters- just thought I should put in a warning.**_

* * *

There were twenty-one of us now, I counted- that was an insanely large group for an on-foot journey back to Camp Half-Blood. It was not going to be easy to go unnoticed. There were five Hunters of Diana- Bellatrix, Fauna, Luna, Aurora, and Megara. Then the small group from the Hunters of Artemis was an additional five- Thalia, Ari, Phoebe, Clio, and Natalie- a few of which I hadn't actually met. Then there was me, obviously, and Percy, Luke, and Nico, Jason and Piper. Lastly, there was Lupa's team to factor in as well- Reyna, Hazel, Gwendolyn, Dakota, and Bobby. Twenty-one if I counted right- this trip was going to be impossible… How do you manage to keep twenty-one demigods from being noticed by every other monster around? The answer, I quickly discovered- you don't. Though I'm sure that the sheer number of us probably warded off some of them- I mean, what monster wants to fight a small army on their own? Apparently there were still a few, which I found out soon enough.

A week into the trip, we had barely made a dent in our travels making it not even to the border of California. We had made it that far without incident. It probably helped that we traveled only through the wilderness and off the beaten path. That way we'd kept out of sight pretty well.

We began setting up a small make-shift campsite for the night around five o'clock, it got dark really early and it's best not to be out after dark, so we were usually settled down for the night by five- thirty or six o'clock. We set up four tents- one for the Hunters of Diana, one for the Hunters of Artemis, then one for the girls who were not hunters, and one for the boys. The tents were usually a little cramped, shoving five to six of us in there for the night.

* * *

I sat down on old, dying log next to Percy, who was poking at the fire with a stick. The fire was small, hardly a blaze compared to back at Camp Half-blood, but it seemed to be cooking our dinner nicely. It was the Hunter's of Diana's turn to prepare dinner, so they shot down a buck and filleted it, so it could be cooked. Ari brought steak sauce but I doubted that she'd actually be willing to share it with the Hunters of Diana.

It was just me and Percy around the fire- Dakota and Luke were practicing sparring and we could hear the occasional clash of their swords. Bobby was with them practicing his lyre. Ari had been playing with Nico last I checked, but that had its potential to go seriously wrong very quickly. The other Hunters of Diana were tracking down some sort of animal, that could only mean that the Hunters of Artemis were tracking the same one trying to out-do their roman equivalents. Hazel was scouting out a path for tomorrow inside our tent. I could trust Reyna and Gwendolyn were with her.

"Anything new with Reyna?" Percy asked me. He was only asking because two days ago, Reyna made a tree branch reach out and grab Piper and pull her up into the canopy. Reyna refused to help get her down so, Jason had to fly up and get her. Jason helping Piper down just made the situation worse. I'd been hearing Reyna complain and whine relentlessly ever since. I had told Percy that Reyna was bound to lash out against Piper again, it was just a matter of where and when. I just had to hope it was resolved before we reached the Rockies- that could turn out bad. The last thing we needed was for Piper to be shoved off a cliff. Poor Piper hadn't been fighting back- I suppose Jason might have asked her not to. Even if he didn't, she must have known there had been something between Reyna and Jason.

"No, nothing abnormal anyway- it's miserable to share a tent with both her and Piper," I grumbled. At least I had Percy to listen to all of this, I didn't know what I do without him.

"Oh, that's rough."

"Yeah, you got lucky- you've got a good tent," I added.

"Not really, I have to put up with Bobby- you do know that he talks about you right?" Percy groaned.

I laughed, "Really?" I added curiously.

"You're great and all but it does get a little exhausting."

I smiled and reached out and touched his hand. At least I hadn't heard a word about Percy from Gwendolyn- but then again, the _good witch_ hadn't said a word to me for the entire trip. Perhaps that was for the best. "It's just another inconvenient trip- we'll be back at Camp Half-blood soon enough."

"It would be a lot more convenient if it weren't for Cupid's arrows-"

I rested my head against Percy, "Don't think too much about Bobby, Percy, please- I've been trying to think of a way the arrows might stop working, no matter what he says, it's not as though it changes anything between us… just remember that, please," I whispered. Even though the fire was small, it still gave off a lot more warmth then I thought it would. It was getting dark. I looked up at Percy and whispered, "I'd better get inside, I'm sure Hazel would like me to help her with tomorrows plans."

I stood up and Percy got to his feet, "Good night, Annabeth."

We kissed by the light of the fire. _Good thing you're back, Seaweed Brain_, I thought to myself.

Then suddenly, I felt a hand grab my sleeve that jerked me backwards. Dakota? I rolled my eyes, Dakota tugged me away from the fire. I glanced around, Percy glared at Dakota, it seemed that the boys had returned to our campsite. Bobby was there, his eyes wide with shock. Luke had his arms crossed and but smirked- a face that said, _well, if you must…_

When Dakota and I were out of earshot from the rest of camp, he muttered furiously, "You said you wouldn't hurt him!"

"Dakota, come on, the campsite was empty! How was I supposed to know that you all were coming?"

"You shouldn't have been making out with him!"

"Dakota, Percy's my boyfriend; you can't blame me for that."

"That's not the point!" he growled, "you _promised_ and you broke that promise!"

"I shouldn't have promised then," I growled. "I shouldn't be with Bobby if the only reason for being with him is that I promised _you_ that I wouldn't break his heart!"

"It was a promise!" Dakota combated.

"I love _Percy_- not Bobby. That should be all that matters."

Dakota took a step back.

"What?"

I turned around. "Percy…"

Percy grinned and wondered, "You love me?" He had been standing right behind me. I should have know he wouldn't have let Dakota drag me off into the woods like that. My cheeks burned red, I hadn't realized I'd said that. Sure, I'd thought it before, but never had said that out loud. I bit my lip and nodded hesitantly. Percy ran to me. He hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. "Good," he whispered. "'Cause I love you too, Wise Girl."

* * *

Since then, Dakota never once mentioned anything about Bobby to me. When we did return to camp, Bobby had gone into the boys' tent and kept out of sight. I saw Luke stop Percy outside their tent and say, "You'd better not go in there- Bobby's just about ready to kill you at this point. You'd have better luck sleeping outside tonight," Luke tossed Percy his sleeping bag, "Goodnight!"

"What?" Percy asked Luke. But Luke had already zipped up their tent.

"It's alright, Percy," I called to him. "I'm sure the girls would be more than happy to let you spend the night in our tent."

He sighed, with embarrassment, "I shouldn't…"

I pulled the tent open and ducked my head it to find Hazel, Gwendolyn, Reyna, and Piper, "Percy got kicked out of his tent- there were some death threats- you guys don't mind if he sleeps in here, do you?"

"Of course not!" Hazel spoke up first. Piper and Reyna looked at me in disbelief. I climbed in and motioned for Percy to join us. Percy climbed in gingerly, obviously not very comfortable with the idea of sharing the space with a bunch of girls.

Reyna broke the awkwardness by asking, "Does this mean I can sleep in the boys' tent?"

"_No!"_ Hazel shut her down quickly. "Percy, you can set up your sleeping bag up over there." She pointed to the farthest corner of the tent where we had piled up all of our backpacks and luggage.

"Thank you, Hazel," he murmured, a little humiliated. He unrolled his sleeping back behind all of our stuff and kept out of sight for the rest of the night- if it weren't for his snoring, we would have forgotten all about him.

* * *

Trouble came the next morning. I had joined the Hunters of Artemis for breakfast- they weren't nearly the chefs the fauns at Legion Camp were. We were eating what I was pretty sure was something like bacon made from some animal I didn't recognize- while my better judgment said don't eat it, I had to be polite so I nibbled at it a little hoping there would be better food later on. Thalia didn't seem to mind eating it- whatever it was. One of the Hunters of Artemis- Phoebe, her name was, the healer, was telling us a story about one of their hunting trips. Thalia was half-listening, but I guess that wasn't enough for her not to notice when Percy climbed out of the girls' tent. Thalia raised a hand and slapped me.

"Ouch, Thalia! What was that for?" I cried.

"Percy slept in your tent?" She shouted furiously.

"Oh, gods…" I heard Hazel mutter.

"He got kicked out of the boys' tent," I reasoned.

Thalia didn't listen, "I can't believe you! What would Artemis think?"

"She'd turn that boy into boar, that's for sure," Phoebe snickered.

"It's not our fault Bobby's been threatening Percy," I defended.

"I would have thought you better than this, Annabeth," Thalia glowered. She then continued to pick up the first thing she could reach to throw at Percy. Fortunately, the closest thing to her was a shield, so it didn't hurt him too badly.

"Relax, Thalia," Hazel stepped in. "We let him stay in our tent- he slept behind our luggage and stuff- it was nothing to get yourself worked up over."

"Yeah, really!" Piper spoke up. "It was as though he wasn't even there." Thank the gods for Piper and her charm speaking.

"Okay," Thalia grunted. She took a breath and her glare softened. "Just don't let it happen again."

After all that, I noticed Ari, Thalia's little side-kick, hadn't said a word the entire time. I would have thought she would have thrown a dagger at Percy or something, but no- she kept quiet, twiddling her thumbs. There was definitely something wrong with that picture.

* * *

Thalia refused to talk to me for the rest of the day. I guess I couldn't blame her after that whole misunderstanding. That day, we traveled through mostly woods, walking along a fast-moving river. The Hunters of Diana were leading us today. Hazel carried a map with her just in case- making sure we stayed on the right track.

I heard Nico shriek from behind me- Ari had dropped a snake on his head. She giggled as he struggled to get the thing off of himself. Nico tossed it into the bushes as quick as he could.

"What the heck, Ari?" Nico growled.

"Relax, it was just a Garter snake anyway," Ari laughed.

Suddenly, I heard a hiss from where Nico had thrown the snake, it was a lot louder than I'd thought the little thing could produce. "Are you sure that was a Garter snake?" I asked Ari. The Hunters of Diana jumped at the sound. I pulled out my knife.

Suddenly the head of the snake rose from the bushes- the head alone must have been two feet across.

"Python…" Bobby recognized it. Bellatrix raised her bow and fired at it. The arrow pierced its neck. The enormous serpent writhed, growling and falling to the ground.

It darted out of the bushes swiftly catching Aurora's ankles. Aurora fell to the ground. The other Hunters of Diana attacked it as it dragged Aurora into the brush. She let out a scream. Bellatrix ran into the brush after Aurora. The Serpent groaned and hissed, the bushes shook, then Python darted out again, this time going for Piper. Jason swung his sword at it, but there was little effect. Python's tail swished, knocking Reyna and Jason off their feet and to the ground. Neither of them got back up. The serpent hissed. Bobby fired an arrow at it. The arrow pierced its scales and Python squealed and then turned towards him.

He fired again, causing the snake to growl in pain, blood was seeping from its lips. Python was going for Bobby, that much everyone could tell. "Annabeth, go! Run, I can take care of this!" He fired again, the snake groaned but didn't stop. "Save those you can- just go!"

"Come on! Let's go!" Nico called urgently.

"Bobby's right, he can handle this," Thalia shouted. "Get everyone you can out of here!"

I obeyed. Percy and I ran to pick up Jason and Reyna. They were both still breathing, Reyna was unconscious, but Jason may have broken a bone. Piper helped me lift Reyna. I saw Dakota with Aurora swung over his back. Nico and Ari led the way, running off to safety further down the river bank.

* * *

Once we were safe and out of the battle scene, I dropped Reyna to the ground. Percy set Jason down on the ground next to her. Although Jason didn't seem to be in much pain, his arm was definitely broken. Dakota set Aurora down. Aurora was screaming. Python had bitten her ankle cutting the skin, though it must have hurt terribly, I doubted that it anything too serious. Python didn't seem to be poisonous. I looked around to take attendance- see who came and who stayed to fight. Here, there was me, Percy, Jason, Piper, Reyna, Dakota, Aurora, Nico, Luke, and Ari. There were ten of us- out of twenty-one. That was a sad number.

"Piper, watch them for a second- I'm going back to help," I said to Piper.

Piper nodded.

"Wait, Annabeth, I'll come with you," Percy said quickly. I didn't fight him as I doubted he had ever wanted to leave in the first place. We hurried back up the river to the field where the battle had been.

When we arrived, perhaps we were too late. Everything was just about finished- or was it? Python was gone. There were spots of blood on the ground. What was more concerning was that everyone else was gone too. No Bellatrix or Luna. No Hazel. No Bobby.

"What the heck?" I muttered.

"This is really weird…" Percy commented.

* * *

_**Weird chapter, I know... there was a lot of drama, so I put in more action, hope you enjoyed it. Perhaps it answered some of your questions. Write a review, amabo te! (Please!) There are still a few plot twists and elements I intend to work into this- if there are any characters/places/etc. things you just need to see me add- I'd love to hear them and perhaps incorporate them in. Gratias ago!**_

_**PS: Python is from Greek mythology, and was a giant snake that lived at Delphi, Apollo killed it in the myth- and that is why the oracle lives at Delphi. **_


	24. Now What?

I turned around and called, "Nico!"

The boy came running. He stopped dead as soon as he saw the state of things. "Whoa… what happened?"

"I don't know, I wanted to ask you," I replied.

"There's no buzzing in my ear- they're not dead, if that's really what you wanted to know," Nico answered.

"That's a nice thought," Percy mentioned.

"Yeah, but what happened?"

"I don't know, but let's not stick around to find out! They'll catch up with us- Thalia knows the way back to camp. Don't worry about them," Nico told. "I'll tell you if you should start worrying."

"Nice thinking, Nico, but I still think we should wait around for them at least for a few hours- they can't have gotten far. They were so close to killing Python," I decided.

Then I heard, "Gwen's gone!" – was the first thing Percy noticed. I bit my lip a little hurt, out of so many, Gwendolyn's absence was the first thing he noticed. I shouldn't have been angry about that, but I was. I couldn't help it. It wasn't as though Percy was doing anything wrong, but he obviously had feelings for her- even if he didn't love her, he still seemed to care.

In my jealousy, I whined, "Bobby's gone too!" But it fell on deaf ears.

"We should be looking for them, not waiting around," Percy thought aloud.

"Looking for them would be detrimental to the situation, if we stay in one place, then at least they know where we are," I answered.

"But what if they get hurt? Then it's not as though they could even make their way back to us if they wanted to," Percy worried.

"They had it under control, when we left, and they aren't dead- Nico told us so. I say we wait here for a few hours, if they aren't back by dawn, we should leave without them," I said grimly.

Percy looked at me; he bit his lip weighing each possibility, "Alright, fine. I just pray they're back before then." _Pray?_ I guess the Legion did leave its mark on him.

* * *

Percy, Piper, Nico, and Ari helped me pitch the tents. We only had two of the tents, the other two tents were being carried by the hunters, where ever they were. Dakota and Luke were out hunting for what Dakota was calling 'dinner'- I hoped it would be something better than the deer the hunters brought back this morning, but knowing Dakota, I couldn't expect that much. Piper and I put Jason's arm in a makeshift cast and sling. He had said it didn't hurt him too badly, but he definitely needed medical attention and the little knowledge I'd had of first aid was not going to cover it.

Reyna woke up pretty quickly, she complained of a headache- I could bet she had a concussion. Once the tent was made up, Reyna rested inside. Jason stuck around and made sure she didn't fall asleep. She probably needed medical attention too.

Dakota and Luke returned a few hours later with some sandwiches.

"Where'd you get sandwiches?" Percy asked suspiciously.

At that point, I was hardly concerned, I hadn't eaten anything this good all day.

"Well, we found this little town, not too far from here," Dakota started. I didn't like where this was going. "We were just window shopping, no one really noticed us. We found a diner, ordered a couple sandwiches, and then Luke came up with the brilliant idea that we should just steal them- it's not like we had enough money to cover ten sandwiches anyway."

"Wait… you actually went into a town- into a diner- and ordered sandwiches?" I freaked.

"Yeah, so? I thought it was a pretty smart idea, princess," Dakota answered.

"Yeah, Dakota, really? Well it wasn't! You could have potentially led every monster that saw you in town right back to our campsite! We can't afford to do that- especially now while we're at our weakest!"

Dakota put his hands up, "Sorry, princess, didn't know."

"I expected better of you too, Luke," I muttered.

My words seemed to sting. Luke took a breath and said, "Sorry, Annabeth, I wasn't thinking. I've been a little worried about everything else that's gone on today," Luke defended. He was worrying about Thalia. I didn't blame him.

We all ate our sandwiches in silence. It was nearly eight o'clock, the sun had already set and no one had returned yet. It was dark, what were the chances they'd make it back by dawn, if they made it back at all? We didn't like to think about it, but I could see it had definitely crossed everyone's mind once or twice.

"We should have gone after them," Percy grumbled, but it was too late now, they could be miles away by now, and chances are, we wouldn't find them. I didn't have to say that out loud for them to understand.

Aurora sat up to answer him, "If it's the will of the gods, they'll be back by dawn. If not, I guess they won't… Either way, we're leaving at dawn. That's the way Bellatrix would have it, so I won't mar her honor by doing any different."

"You've heard it then," Dakota announced. "The gods can decide."

Luke shook his head at that, "_The gods_? When have the gods ever interfered or helped us?"

"Don't talk ill of them, _fur __inprudens_, (1)" Aurora warned Luke.

"Luke has a point," I stood up, "Olympus is closed. The gods have gone silent."

"Stop it!" Aurora growled, "Whatever happens is the will of the gods, even when you can't hear them!"

I shrugged her off and Luke did the same. It seemed the Romans had more faith in their parents than we did. But why should we trust our parents? It wasn't as though they had done anything for us, hadn't helped us when we needed it- weren't helping us now, and already we've gone years without as much as an acknowledgment from them. What I wondered is how the Romans could possibly still have faith in the gods after all of that?

"Any updates, Nico?" Percy asked grimly.

Nico turned towards him. He was actually sitting next to Ari, neither of them arguing, but Ari had a look on her face that you might see on an exhausted puppy dog, so tired it won't wag its tail or nip. Perhaps that was why I hadn't heard a peep from either of them all day.

"No, updates," Nico muttered. "And that's a good thing." We were all waiting for that to change, not hoping it would, just waiting- it seemed impending.

* * *

I took a seat in the tent Reyna was resting in. Inside, Jason was talking to Reyna- not so much about anything important, just something to keep her awake. Reyna was only half-listening, sort of in a daze.

I interrupted, asking, "How's your arm?"

"Not so bad…" Jason mumbled. "I can't believe I broke it. If I actually thought about what I was doing for just a second, this wouldn't have happened! What's worse is that we're supposed to make negotiations with Chiron and Camp Half-Blood- and most of us aren't even here!"

"Don't worry so much about it, Jason. Nico said that everyone's okay and they know the way back to Camp Half-Blood, I'm sure we'll see them again," I told him, but even I wasn't entirely sure of that. I hated to see him blaming himself, it wasn't his fault. If anything I worried that it may have been mine. I had left the battle…

"Let's hope," Jason replied before heading off to the other tent to sleep.

I watched him leave. I saw Luke was still standing outside staring out into the dark horizon. I had hardly expected him to be the most concerned of the group, but then again he had been talking about our little "family" for a long time- me, him, and Thalia- and how that was so close to becoming real again. I supposed he would be just as worried if I had gone missing instead of Thalia. I went and stood beside him, didn't say a word, but let him know I was there. He responded with, "I'll be a lookout for tonight, I suppose we're going to need a lookout now that there are so few of us."

"Good point. We can work in shifts- I'll take the next one," I told him.

"No, that's alright, Annabeth, I can stay up- you sleep," Luke tried.

"You'll need your sleep too," I answered him. He didn't argue any further.

* * *

I was watching before dawn. Percy, Luke, and Dakota had already begun to fold up the tents. None of us could stand the thought of leaving- it was perhaps as bad as the thought of staying- either way there was little chance we'd ever find the others. We didn't have a trail planned out- that was Hazel's job. When first light came, peering through the bushes, I was watching the horizon, looking and waiting for their return.

"They aren't here… I guess it _isn't the will of the gods_," Percy added sarcastically. Aurora cast a glare at him, but said nothing more. She too was disappointed by the way things turned out.

"We should leave- if they aren't coming back we'd better start moving," I spoke up morbidly. I took a last glance back to the horizon. The sun hung heavily, looking like an enormous orange weighing down on the clouds. The bushes, where the others had so boldly fought Python, were black, bristly silhouettes in the distance. There was nothing and no one.

Luke took a deep breath, holding the straps of his backpack. I took the first few steps away from the campsite. Everyone else soon followed. I walked along the river, back to the bushes where the Python attacked. I thought for a moment before taking a step into the brush. I cautiously took another step forward, watching for snakes. The ground was muddy, my shoes sunk in. I winced, but kept walking through the brush.

"Annabeth? What are you doing?" Percy asked me.

I flipped my head around, mid-cautious-stride. He and the others had stopped walking back before the bushes. "Going to Camp Half-Blood, Seaweed Brain," I answered simply. "Aren't you coming?"

"Wait! Annabeth, this isn't the right direction!" Luke called after me. Percy smiled and began following me through the brush.

"Of course it is, this is where we last saw the others- the last place we saw Hazel with our map. Unless you know another way to get to Camp Half-Blood, we're going this way," I said.

Nobody spoke for a moment. A grin stretched across Aurora's face. We were going after them.

The further we wandered through the brush, the clearer it seemed there was a trail of some sorts made with bent branches and twisted stalks of plants. Aurora noticed this first.

"They came down this way," Aurora told. She examined one of the plants. It was bent and broken. "This is what Bellatrix taught us, Hunters of Diana, to do to show where we've been. This is the way they went." We continued on this path for a short while, until we found what we were looking for- or something like that.

There it was- Python, its bloodied body only freshly dead with one of Bobby's arrows sticking out of its head.

"Eww…" Reyna grimaced at the sight of it.

"Um… no. That, there, is awesome!" Ari cheered, running to get a better look at Python. "Nico! Come look at this!"

"I bet I could bring it back," Nico muttered to Ari.

"Oh, yeah, let's see that!" Ari tested.

"No!" I stopped them, "It was difficult enough to deal with it the first time- let's not have to do that all over again."

Nico and Ari groaned. Ari got over it first and muttered to Nico, "we can let this one slide- I'll find other things dead enough for you to bring them back to life." I didn't like the sound of that- but I was sure it was all innocent enough.

Looking at the snake, I noticed something peculiar- a piece of paper, pinned beneath Bobby's arrow. I ripped the paper out and held it up where I could see it. _A page from Hazel's atlas,_ I couldn't tell very well which map I was looking at, but it was pretty clear where the others wanted us to go. Circled and scrawled on the atlas's page was 'the Lotus Hotel' in Las Vegas.

"What's that? You found something?" Percy asked. "Anything important?"

I showed him the page, "I think we're going to Vegas."

* * *

**Footnotes:**

(1)_ ignorant thief._

* * *

_**Just a chapter to help move things along- hope it clarifies things. Please write a review- that would be very helpful! Also, if you've got ideas for me, those are good and helpful too! Gratias Ago!**_


	25. Vegas

"Las Vegas? Some little spur of the moment idea? You do know this really isn't the time-"

"No, Seaweed Brain! Look! The others must have left it here for us to follow!" I laughed.

I shoved the page from Hazel's atlas in front of him. "Oh! Yeah, sure! Glad to know you weren't making other plans…" Percy realized.

"Vegas?" Aurora questioned. "Why would they go there?"

"It's the next major city we'll be going near, also the Lotus Hotel- Thalia knows we've been there, they want us to meet them there," I decided.

"Wait, the Lotus Hotel?" Nico asked.

"It sounds familiar…" Percy muttered.

"Yeah, why?" I said to Nico.

"I don't think going there's such a good idea- last time I was there, I got stuck for seventy-something years!" Nico shouted.

"Seventy years? How could you have been stuck anywhere for seventy-years, Ghost boy?" Ari asked him curiously.

"Time slows down there- seven days becomes seventy years," Nico explained to her.

"Have we been there before?" Percy asked.

"We won't be going inside, then- let's hope they all know enough not to go inside either," I told Nico, hoping Thalia remembered what had happened to Nico and Bianca at that hotel.

One problem… just how were we getting to Vegas? Walking for miles through the desert was definitely not the best way to go. I took my question to the group, "How should we get there?"

"We can take a bus," Luke came up with the idea.

"Not, quite, Luke- we don't have money to pay for a bus to take us, remember?" I said to Luke- he had been so used to stealing things, I guess he hadn't considered money to be an issue, and stealing money was a lot different than stealing things… I don't know why but stealing money seemed worse that stealing the boat or the sandwiches. "Any other ideas?"

No one said anything for a moment. We were in the middle of nowhere- surrounded by trees. Without much to be said, we decided to continue tracking the others, thinking that perhaps they came up with a solution to getting through the desert. On the way, we were quiet for the most part- no one was quite in the mood to talk. As close as we came to finding the others, they seemed even further now- at least they're still alive…

As we walked, Percy grabbed my hand to get my attention. I glanced over at him. "Where are we going in Las Vegas again?"

"The Lotus Hotel and Casino, Percy," I sighed- his memory was getting annoying. He remembered a lot of things- just it seemed a few things had fallen through the cracks- a few important things.

"…and we've been there before?" He asked.

"Yeah, it was you, me, and Grover- that was on our first quest," I smiled remembering it, my eyes met his- he was listening, but didn't seem to recall anything like that at all… My eyes fell, disappointed. He was thinking about it, but I don't think thinking would help his amnesia. The woods were suddenly very quiet- it didn't help that all of us were quiet- otherwise I probably wouldn't have noticed otherwise. Every sound seemed to leave an impact. When Nico stepped on a twig, all of the woods could hear it splinter. I could hear every breath I took- even the subtle beat of my own heart. It was unsettling- any silence like that would be. The air wasn't humid, but was still, without even the slightest breeze to stir the air or rustle whatever leaves there were left on the trees.

Then there was something, like the slightest movement in the branches. It made me panic- no one else was panicking, so I said nothing. A gust of wind- I supposed. Another soft beat of noise made me look to the sky. I jumped, clutching Percy.

He noticed my sudden wave of anxiety and Percy leaned in towards me, "We're being followed," he whispered light-heartedly.

"What? By who?" I stuttered.

"Whistle," he answered.

"What?"

"You heard me," he whispered with a grin.

I took a deep breath, obviously Seaweed Brain wasn't concerned. I calmed down, and slackened my grip on Percy, then whistled.

I didn't hold the note for long before we heard the noise of something cutting through the wind like a low-flying airplane. Its source came into sight. _Stella!_ Thank the gods. Everyone else stopped walking and stared as the pegasus descended.

"I think she's been following us since we left- I thought I spotted her yesterday, but couldn't be sure," Percy told me. I went and pet the pegasus. Stella whinnied, Percy translated that to, "she's glad to see you- when she saw everyone leaving, she caused a… 'guess the right word is 'jail-break'- and took off after us. She says she couldn't stand the idea of being left behind with only the younger campers to take care of her."

"Jail-break?" I asked suspiciously. I had thought the stables looked nicer than that.

"I guess the 'jail' part plays in from when the Mars kids were taking care of it," Percy commented. I smiled. "How many escaped?" Percy asked Stella. Stella beat her foot on the ground and neighed in response. "And they all followed?" – then more neighing. "Great!" Percy said finally. "Call them over!"

"What was that?" I asked him.

"It turns out that Stella didn't fly here alone," Percy smiled.

Stella whinnied loudly with her head raised high. Immediately after, the woods seemed to echo with the sound of beating wings. A cloud of them descended. Their hooves hitting the ground sounded like thunder.

"Whoa…" escaped from Ari's lips. I counted the pegusi- there were six, not including Stella. Some were brown, some white, others painted, etc.-

Percy was still talking to Stella, "you sure?" he asked.

"What?" I interrupted. Stella shook her head, making noise.

"They want to help. I think we've found our ride to Vegas," Percy answered.

* * *

Things couldn't have worked out better… or perhaps they could have, a little bit, having two extra pegusi would have been helpful as it was it was going to be difficult pairing people up to ride together since there weren't enough horses for everyone to ride their own. We were only short three. Although Jason could fly, with his broken arm, I decided that flying was out of the question. The last thing we needed was poor Jason falling out of the sky. The next thing was that Jason had been avoiding the issue of both Piper and Reyna, leaning more towards Piper, but probably would never admit it- so he wouldn't be pairing up with their of them. Then there was Dakota who wanted to ride with Aurora. I actually thought it was sweet the way he was looking up to his sister, however Aurora did not.

To prevent arguments as best we could, Percy came up with the idea of letting the pegusi pick who rides them- figuring each horse knows how much they can carry. It seemed like a good idea to me, anyway.

Stella picked me and Percy to ride on her back.

Percy called the next horse up, a black-and-white pegasus called, "Oreo." The horse stomped its foot, eventually selecting Reyna and only Reyna. Oreo was short for a pegasus, with stout wings, I would be surprised if he could even lift off the ground on his own, let alone with Reyna on his back. The third pegasus to pick was a pale horse, only slightly larger than Oreo, not much taller, but his wings were larger, even folded up they seemed powerful. The pale pegasus picked Nico and Ari- seeing as they both would be light, I doubt the poor horse knew the two of them were a recipe for disaster. The fourth picked Piper and the fifth picked Jason. The sixth horse- a chocolate-colored painted pegasus- picked Luke to ride her. Percy introduced her as "Georgia". She was the tallest of the pegusi by a hand or two, making Luke seem short next to her. The last pegasus got stuck with Dakota and Aurora- that was just the luck of the draw. The last didn't seem to mind, accepting what he got dealt with, which just so happened to be two arguing siblings.

We all climbed up into the horses' saddles. I heard Aurora curse at Dakota in Latin and give him a shove, nearly knocking him off the horse. Oreo was moving even slower with Reyna on his back and we hadn't even left the ground yet.

Not too far, I heard, "Get your hands off of me, _boy_!" Ari snapped at Nico.

"But I have to hold on somewhere!" Nico argued, he was sitting behind her in the saddle and was unable to reach the horn of the saddle. He awkwardly looked for another place to hold on so he would end up falling off the pegasus.

* * *

Once we were up in the air, things went a little more smoothly- or at least that was what I assumed, but since it was a lot windier up above the trees- the wind droned out any further arguing. With our luck we actually made it to Las Vegas that night, landing on the outskirts of the city. We figured even if the Mist did cover up the herd of pegusi, the Mist probably couldn't make it look like anything natural. I worried that the Mist might make us look like a UFO or something, fortunately it was late when we arrived, already dark. Stella crashed down onto a vacant and dark street. The rest of the horses followed.

I dismounted first, searching the streets to be sure there weren't any spectators. Then from behind me I heard, "Ouch!" It was just Nico.

Ari had slapped him, saying, "And remember it well!"

"What happened?" I heard Luke ask Nico, rubbing his cheek from when Ari slapped him.

"Apparently it's some big crime to hold onto her so that I don't fall from a pegasus!" Nico cried in outrage.

Luke laughed, "Typical hunters…"

* * *

Using the page from Hazel's atlas, we were able to find the Lotus Hotel and Casino. "Look familiar?" I asked Percy.

He shook his head, "not really…"

"It does look a little different from when we had last seen it…" I shrugged. The Lotus Hotel was a tall and dark building- looking not at all how it looked last time I'd seen it. The windows were boarded up, the front and half hidden behind scaffolding. Renovations? I wondered.

We had made it but Bobby and the others were nowhere in sight. We waited around for a while, getting the occasional glare from passers-by. The sight of ten kids out on their own in Vegas had to be an unusual sight.

Damn it! Where were they? I raked my brain for answers- I didn't find any.

"Look, Annabeth," Percy called, "is that one of Bobby's arrows?" He pointed towards the front door of the hotel. Surely enough, it was! The arrow was speared into the ply boards blocking the front door, pinning another piece of paper for us. Percy pulled the paper out.

"A note?" I asked.

"Not quite- it seems they're leaving us a trail," Percy answered.

"Ugh! Couldn't they have just made it easy on us and stayed in one place?" Aurora groaned.

"No, of course not," I told her. "As demigods, you should know, we never can really ever stay in one place for long without some monster coming after us- why would they risk it? Especially since they have no idea how long it's going to take us to catch up. I can bet that they don't stay in any one place for more than a few hours," I explained.

"Are you saying we're going to have to lug all our stuff to the next place they pick, again, princess?" Dakota groaned.

"Um, yeah." I snatched the page from Percy's hands. "Looks like we're going to Saint Louis."

"Saint Louis? How'd they pick there?" Aurora asked.

"I think Thalia's picking places she knows I've been to help us find them, I mentioned Saint Louis and specifically, the Gateway Arch. According to this page- that's where they're going," I told everyone.

"I went there too, right?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, Seaweed Brain… you were there. We went 'sight-seeing' while on our first quest. Remember anything else?" I asked.

"Did I fight some monsters?" Percy asked curiously.

"That's kind of a given, Percy- any specifics?" I answered. He thought for a moment. "How about a Chimera? Ring any bells?"

He looked at me, wide-eyed. "A chimera? Isn't that what you fought a few days ago?"

"Yeah, there's more than one of them. They're real nasty things though," I muttered.

"Yeah, I want to say the one I fought bit me- they're poisonous. My father saved me that time- Poseidon," Percy rambled.

I hugged him, "So you do remember!"

"A little," he added.

We headed out that night, figuring it would be best that way for traveling conditions. The herd of pegusi flew the ten of us all the way to Colorado by morning. Percy offered to help give Stella directions for that night. It was easier for him because he could actually talk to Stella, while I had to tug her head in different directions to get the message across. With no work to do, once we were up in the air, I rested my head on Percy's shoulder and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**_This is going somewhere, I promise! Hope you liked it- it's going to get awesome, don't worry. Please write a review! Thank you!_**


	26. What We Find in New Jersey

We reached Saint Louis, Illinois two days after leaving Las Vegas and made it to the Gateway Arch not long after. I wish I could say the trip to the Gateway Arch was a great success, that we found Bobby and Hazel and the others, but I can't. Our short time at the Gateway Arch was only just shy of convincing me that the other side of Styx might be more pleasant.

Things were bound to turn sour when Reyna decided for herself that she had recovered enough that she could return to harassing Piper to no end. None of us realized that right away- I should have gotten suspicious when Piper tripped on a tree-branch while walking to the Gateway Arch, since she was the only one to fall.

When Piper moved to pick herself up, Ari came running with a dead raccoon in her grip, shouting, "I bet you couldn't bring this guy back, Nico!"

"No! No dead raccoons!" I winced. Super-gross!

"You're on, Lunatic!" Nico called back.

"Come on! It probably has rabies!" I freaked. Eww! Ari was actually holding the raccoon with her bare hands. The carcass was bloody and it was missing a leg and she was waving it around in front of Nico.

Nico snatched it from her hand. I gagged. Nico was now nonchalantly holding the dead, bloody, raccoon carcass in his hands. "I can do it so you'd better not bet something you're not prepared to lose!"

"I'm losing nothing, Ghost boy!" Ari said back. She unsheathed a bloody knife. "I bet you four drachmas!"Ari announced the stakes.

"Hey! It's Ghost _King_!" Nico corrected.

"No betting! You're not bringing that disgusting thing back to life!" I scolded.

"But I don't have any drachmas!" Nico worried. "Let's bet on something else!"

"No betting!" I growled.

Then I heard, "Reyna!" Ivy had crawled up and around both Jason and Piper. "I haven't done anything wrong! Please let us go!" Piper pleaded with her charm speaking.

Reyna had her fingers covering her ears, shouting, "La, la, la! I'm not listening!"

"Cut it out!" I shouted. "Why do I suddenly feel like I have to babysit all of you?" Reyna refused so I pulled out my knife and cut Jason and Piper free. Then, of course I saw the three-legged raccoon climb to its feet.

"How could you possibly…?" Ari gasped. "I cut out all of its vitals and insides!" _Eww!_

"F.Y.I.- I'm son of Hades, I control what dies and what lives, whether it's got a heart or not is irrelevant," Nico announced. "Now pay up, Lunatic!"

"Nico! Kill that thing, now! It's really creepy- oh, and be nice to Ari, calling her names is not going to make things easier for you," I warned him, my eyes flashed around searching for more help. Percy, Dakota, and Luke had wandered off looking for a clue from the others and Aurora was waiting with the herd.

"Calling me names?" Ari wrinkled her nose. "'Lunatic' is not a name- it's who I am, it means someone who draws power from the moon- as a hunter, I am a proud lunatic!"

Nico choked back his laughter, "Great, Lunatic, great… Now pay up!"

Whatever Ari, I thought, call yourself a lunatic all you want… I couldn't even be bothered by them now. I let them be, and I noticed Reyna was pouting, which meant there would be little damage at the moment but probably more to come later. She was probably only pouting because now Jason was talking to Piper about something or another- something totally separate from her and her attention seeking. I could see Dakota, Luke, and Percy standing beneath the Gateway Arch, and ran to join them- I could deal with everyone else's drama later.

"Find anything?" I asked Percy urgently.

Dakota handed me a piece of paper, "I found it this time, and all on my own, too, no thanks to these too over here," he pointed to Percy and Luke. "Them, Chatty-Cathies- can you get them to cut it out, princess?"

"What are you talking about, Dakota?" Luke wondered.

"You were just bad-mouthing me and Annabeth's best friend- and I don't like it, not one bit, "Dakota snapped.

"Don't drag me into this, Dakota-" I said quickly. "Who?"

"You know who! Our B-F-F, Bobby, duh!" Dakota rolled his eyes. "Sorry, princess, I just don't like it… you know, you two would make awful Romans!" Dakota insulted. "Treason is punishable by _death_!"

I calmed Dakota down, "Gossip's not treason, so who cares? Just go with it."

Dakota grumbled but said nothing else. He wasn't at Legion Camp anymore.

When he turned away, I asked, "What was that all about?"

"I mentioned Bobby's threats once and suddenly Dakota thinks this is espionage!" Percy sighed with a chuckle.

I laughed too, but said, "That's just the Romans- being all about loyalty and stuff, besides I think Dakota is extra touchy about all that now- being one of the few Roman along with than Reyna, Jason, and Aurora."

Percy and Luke nodded in agreement. "We've got the next 'clue' though," Luke told me. "It seems like the next stop is in New Jersey!"

I sighed as we began walking back towards Stella and her herd. Nothing good ever happened to us in New Jersey… "Where is it this time?"

Luke looked at the page from the atlas. "I can't really tell, it wasn't listed. It's just a dot on the map for now."

"Maybe it's a place we haven't been to then," I considered. Thalia probably knew of all sorts of places that would be safer to meet us at, perhaps this was her way of getting us there.

When we were walking back towards Stella and her herd, Nico came running, shouting, "I got four drachmas!" in triumph. Ari followed after, scowling at him. Since we knew where the next location was, we didn't stick around any longer than needed and set out as soon as the sun began to set. We made it as far as West Virginia that night.

* * *

We spent twelve hours in West Virginia, exactly twelve hours- any longer, I feared we might attract some monsters. Most of those twelve hours, we spent sleeping. We made camp in woods and set up our tents. We took shifts keeping watch over camp. I had the last shift going from 3 p.m. on. When Luke woke up, we came up with the idea of stealing some breakfast. Luke and I found a convenience store at a highway rest-stop not too far away. There he managed to swipe a couple bottles of soda pop and four bags of M&M's. _Great breakfast._

By the time we returned, it was nearly sunset- the sky had turned a fiery orange. Everyone was preparing to leave. We all were tired of traveling, good thing we were no more than two days from Camp Half-Blood. Even Piper had bags under her eyes- even the daughter of Aphrodite wasn't in great shape. She probably could care less about the way she looked anyway. Luke shared the soda pop- the caffeine may have helped a little, for some more than others.

Before we left, I saw Nico walking out of the woods, blushing with a confused look on his face. "What happened to you?" Luke asked.

Nico scratched his head, "That Lunatic just kissed me…"

"What?" I wondered if I'd heard that right, thought for a second before asking, "Do you still have those drachmas you won?"

Nico patted down his pockets quickly before looking to us frantically, "Darn it!" Luke snorted, unable to suppress his giggles.

I smiled, "You should have expected that from a hunter."

Nico grumbled. I guess the caffeine had helped Ari. We took off shortly after.

* * *

While circling over some foreign New Jersey suburb at 5 a.m., the only thought on my mind was _why do all these neighborhoods have to look the same?_ The page from Hazel's atlas was labeled with names of streets and listed a couple of landmarks, but that was certainly not going to be helpful from up in the air. I didn't even know what town we were looking at, but we weren't too far from New York- I could see the lights from the city in the distance. The point the others left for us was an isolated spot right off a main road- it shouldn't have been too difficult to find.

"Turn east," Percy suggested.

"We just were heading that way!"

"Then north!" Percy tried.

Stella heard him and pointed towards that way. I just about gave up after that, frustrated I let Percy take the page. With Percy interpreting the directions, we circled over a few small townships for another forty-five minutes.

I snatched the paper back. Scanned it over. I had seen every word on it a dozen times over the last few hours- the names of streets, towns, etc. On the page, it showed streets and the names of the streets, nothing more, no houses, no landmarks. I thought about what I knew- I knew about houses. I knew about architecture. Sure the atlas may not have shown the houses- but I could figure it out. In neighborhoods like this, there would be houses up and down the street, based on how far the streets were apart, I could estimate the size of the houses, just an estimate. I concluded that where the roads were further apart, I could assume there were either larger houses, or farms land. Now if only I could have a point of reference… I searched the page again until I found something- the Holland Tunnel, the tunnel connecting New Jersey and Manhattan. _Perfect._

I focused, and looked down at the streets; suddenly I knew where we were.

"Percy, tell Stella to land over there," I said into his ear and reached over his shoulder to point the way.

"You found it?" Percy asked me excitedly.

"I hope so," I whispered.

* * *

I hopped off of Stella.

"We're definitely in the right place…"I started but let the sentence die.

"You sure?" Percy asked. He didn't remember it.

"I wish I wasn't, this place gives me the creeps," I answered. Percy squeezed my hand.

"It doesn't look too bad, I mean, it's called 'Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium'. That's not a very evil name," he was convinced.

Percy smiled at me innocently. I raised my hand to his cheek, "It's so cute that you actually believe that evil things have to have evil names." He kept smiling- perhaps it was better I didn't remind him of this place.

The others had dismounted and were standing around us.

"This, the place?" Dakota asked.

I nodded.

"Well, let's get inside, then," Dakota said.

I took a deep breath. Medusa was gone, Percy had cut off her head last time we were here, what did I have to fear anymore? I should have known- things had been going well for too long.

We went inside.

The next thing I heard was, "Annabeth!"

My first thought was _Bobby!_ I knew his voice. I saw him- my heart jumped. His light hair was a mess and there was a new scratch on his forehead over his eye, still red- could it really have only been a week since I'd last seen him? Before a word could even pass my lips, Bobby had already wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tightly into an embrace. I hugged him back, not entirely sure how I should be acting. I knew Percy was right behind me and was watching silently- awkwardly.

After a few seconds, I heard Percy clear his throat. I let go of Bobby.

"I'm glad you're okay," I finally said.

"Yeah, we're all so _glad_ you're all right, where's everyone else?" Percy butted in.

"In the warehouse last I checked," Bobby said quickly. His eyes fell back on me. Bobby leaned in as though he was going to kiss me. As that happened, Percy grabbed my wrist and pulled me away. _Whoa!_

"Come on, Annabeth, we'd better go say 'hello' to everyone else," Percy tugged me along. He was frustrated. I didn't blame him- I was exhausted and confused. I hadn't slept through the night in over a week, me making decisions was probably not a great idea in this state.

We walked into the next room. It was dark. We searched around for a light switch but didn't find one.

"Hello?" Percy called into the dark.

"Shhh! They were sleeping!" Bobby growled.

"It's seven a.m.- we can wake them up," I said. "Hello!"

No answer. I stepped inside, my eyes adjusted to the light. They weren't there… No tents, no nothing.

"I thought you said they were in here," Percy said to Bobby.

"That's strange… they _were_."

Then Luke pushed by, looking for Thalia, stepping into the dark room. "Thalia?" he called. He continued walking until his silhouette faded into the dark. "Thalia?" Nico and Ari shoved passed me as well, following after Luke.

"This is really strange. They were just here a moment ago!" Bobby worried.

"_Yeah, right,"_ Percy snapped sarcastically. "Where are they?"

"I don't know!" Bobby insisted.

"Don't pretend-"

"I'm not pretending!" Bobby interrupted. "We got here yesterday and everyone was here- they were sleeping, it was my shift, to keep watch, so, I was out here, keeping watch!"

Although the room was dark, it was most certainly empty- no tents, or anything to make it seem as though the others were sleeping there.

"Maybe they're just outside, getting breakfast or something," I suggested- I didn't believe it though and neither did they.

Then we heard a scream- a shrill sound that pierced the air, that sent a panic over us. The three of us rushed through the door into the dark warehouse. It sounded like Ari.

Then the lights switched on. The doors slammed shut behind us. My heart skipped a beat. I clutched Percy pulling myself to his side.

A shrill voice squeaked, "_Dear sister, it seems we have company_."

I searched around the room for the source of the sound. The warehouse wasn't exactly the easiest place to figure that out- the tall ceilings and concrete floors made sounds echo. The voice could have come from anywhere. The warehouse was also was full of crates and boxes- full of hiding places, _oh joy_…

I eased away from Percy, stepping out into the room, looking for whoever else was here. I drew my dagger, just in case. I wandered out into one of the isles between the crates. I waited a moment, until another voice spoke- it was still shrill, if anything slightly lighter. "_Oh, sister, isn't this one handsome?_ "

The other voice replied with, "_A nice addition to our collection_…" I heard Bobby yelp briefly, after there was only silence. My skin grew cold. Whoever was here was able to take Bobby without a fight.

I kept walking with my eyes peeled. I wasn't going anywhere without a fight. When I came to the intersection of two isles, I peered out into the crossing isle cautiously. And there they were- not quite who I was expecting- gorgons. Two women- if you could even call them women- with talons for fingers and snakes for hair, like Medusa but immortal. I'd heard about them in stories before, Stheno and Euryale- the sisters of Medusa. I could see them standing over Bobby. His glare would meet theirs but he wasn't turned to stone, perhaps that was only Medusa's trick.

"_A demigod,_" one of them hissed. "_A Roman, too." _ Bobby was kicking at them with a free foot fruitlessly, he wasn't hitting them and one of Gorgons was tying him up, the other had his wrist pinned beneath her talon. She was looking at his tattoo. _"Son of Phoebus… sister? Do we like Phoebus? I can't remember…"_

_ "'Course not, dear sis, we don't like the gods- not since what happened to Medusa," _ the other hissed in reply. I stepped out into the isle with my knife ready. The Gorgons noticed quickly enough.

They came towards me ready to attack. Suddenly, I saw Percy wielding his sword, Riptide, striking one of them- Euryale, I think, off her feet. Way to go Seaweed Brain! I struck my knife against Stheno's talons, defending myself. The snakes around her face hissed and spat. Stheno move again, catching my wrist in her claws. Percy swung again hitting Stheno. The Gorgon fell to the ground in a puddle of gold blood. Gold blood- that could only mean, as I feared, she'd be back…

"…Just when I though Medusa was all the Gorgon I needed to deal with…" Percy muttered before heading off to help release everyone else. Among those tied up were: Hazel, Gwendolyn, Bellatrix, Thalia, Luna, and everyone else who had disappeared.

I went to Bobby and helped him get to his feet. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Percy was talking to Gwendolyn. _He loves me- not her_, I tried reminding myself. It didn't seem very helpful- but at least I tried.

* * *

I got around to talking to Hazel eventually once things calmed down.

"Thanks, Hazel, for leaving us a trail- without that we would never have gotten here and found you," I said first.

"No, that was easy," Hazel answered. "I should be thanking you and Percy for following our trail and coming to save us- we would have been goners without you. By the way, how is everyone? Last time I saw you, you were helping Reyna and Jason get to safety- how were their injuries?"

"Not too bad, Jason's arm is broken and Reyna has a concussion, but it's not as though that stopped her from going after Piper," I told Hazel.

"Oh, she's still fighting over Jason? They were hardly even a couple by the time Jason disappeared- why won't she just get over it?" Hazel asked annoyed.

"I don't know, try telling her that!"

"It might be easier to get that through her head once we get your Greek camp," Hazel said. "If we're lucky, we might be able to get there by tonight."

"Tonight? Really?" I asked excitedly. _Thank the gods! Camp Half-Blood, here we come._

* * *

_**Hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter is about Camp Half-Blood- any ideas? (stuff you need to see me add like: characters, places, things, etc.) Please, write a review- reviews are helpful! Thank you!**_


	27. Coming Back to Camp HalfBlood: Part I

That night, Stella touched down on the hill over-looking Camp Half-Blood. _Finally, home… _ "Thanks, Stella," Percy said to the pegasus, "for everything." Percy pointed Stella towards where the stables were.

"This is it?" I heard Bobby ask from over my shoulder. He had somehow managed to talk Aurora out of flying and took her spot, riding with Dakota. Aurora was so glad to be with the Hunters of Diana again, I wasn't surprised that she opted to stick with them. The Hunters were still making their way over here.

"Yep, home, sweet, home," I told him.

"It's nice to be back," Percy smiled.

"Do you actually remember it?" I questioned.

"A lot of it, sure, but some things are a little fuzzy. You'll refresh my mind on name, won't you?" Percy asked me.

"'Course not, Seaweed Brain, good luck explaining to your friends why you don't remember them!" I laughed.

"You're kidding right?" Percy hoped.

"_Sure…_" I giggled. It might be fun to mess with him on his first day back; he gave me a look as though he was actually concerned. I'll definitely just _forget_ to tell him about the Stoll brothers and their tricks. We were only standing on that hill for a few minutes before a spear came flying past our heads.

"_Whoa! _What the heck was that?" Bobby freaked; he had ducked his head so the spear didn't hit him. "Someone trying to kill us?"

I looked around. "Clarisse!" glad to see a familiar face. Clarisse trudged up the side of the hill. She seemed old. She was wearing her old, warn out armor- the boar-head helmet- and had her brown hair pulled out of her face in a taut, messy ponytail. Then I noticed, she was walking a little slower because her foot was in a red cast. Perhaps that's why she couldn't come rescue us.

When she saw us she grumbled, "Oh… you're here."

"Nice to see you too, Clarisse!" Percy joked.

"You made some friends? They shouldn't be here," Clarisse looked over Bobby, Dakota, Hazel, Reyna, and Gwendolyn. "How did you even smuggle them in? I can get rid of them for you," she hinted.

"Get rid of us? What are you talking 'bout, Crazy?" Dakota snapped.

Clarisse looked at me, "Who the Hades is this and why is he here? Why is this little dork even talking to me? I'm sick of new people," referring to Dakota.

I smiled, this would be fun, "He's your Roman half-brother, that a good enough reason?"

"What?" Clarisse scratched her head.

"Yeah, Clarisse- monster from Aries, meet Dakota, this _dork_ is the son of Mars- Aries' roman equivalent. Anyway, what happened to your foot?" I asked her.

"That doesn't concern you," she grumbled. "If you're insisting that these _Romans_ stay here, you'd better talk to Chiron, 'else I'm around to run them out of here."

"Good idea, Clarisse- we do need to talk to Chiron. Turns out that prophesy Rachel spat out a couple months ago might actually be for stuff going to happen sooner than later," I explained to her.

The scowl on her mouth faded, _the prophesy_, that ought to get her attention. "Sure then, let's go see Chiron, Mr. D, whoever you need." Even she was bright enough to see opportunity when it struck her on the nose. If there was a quest coming, she wanted to be involved.

We headed down the hill. We hadn't gotten far before Conner Stoll spotted us and came running out to meet us.

"Percy! Annabeth! You're back! What happened?" Conner greeted us.

Percy looked to me like a deer in headlights- that familiar naïve look of amnesia. He didn't remember. I smiled, "Hey!"

Percy followed with an awkward, "Hi."

"So what happened? You've been gone for months!" Conner pressed on. "Who are they?" Conner pointed to Reyna, Gwendolyn, Hazel, Bobby, and Dakota.

Percy didn't answer, so I did, "new demigods- I can explain later, I'm sure Chiron will call a meeting later to fill everyone in."

Conner nodded, a little disappointed he didn't get more information about everything- bad move on Percy's part. Conner would be one to take out his frustration on Percy more so as a joke than anything else.

"Who was that?" Percy whispered to me once he was out of sight.

I giggled, "I'll let you figure that out the hard way…"

Then Bobby whispered to me, "Who are these people?" I had the feeling that he didn't care for Clarisse especially since she had nearly taken his head off with a spear just a moment ago.

"Well, this is Clarisse, daughter of Aries- Mars for the Romans and she's just about everyone's worst nightmare… think of Dakota- without a lot of his morals and rules. That's what Clarisse is like for the most part. We- Percy and I- are friends with her most days, this just isn't one of those days," I told Bobby.

"She sounds like a delight," Bobby sighed. "What about the other one? The curly-haired boy Percy couldn't remember?"

"That's Conner Stoll, a son of Hermes- Mercury- don't trust him with anything, he's one of the most notorious thieves in camp- him and his brother, Travis," I explained.

As we followed Clarisse into the heart of camp, Percy was searching around trying to remember things as best he could. With Percy busy, Bobby took his opportunity and put an arm around me. I had to remind myself, it was because of Cupid's arrows that he was like this- I didn't believe that, perhaps I didn't want to.

* * *

Clarisse lead us passed the Aphrodite Cabin where Drew was hanging around outside. "Hey, Percy!" she waved, batting her eyes. I hated Drew. Fortunately, Percy didn't seem to care about her- hardly noticed her at all, probably helped that he had no idea who she was. He waved back but said nothing. Drew frowned. She wasn't used to being ignored like that. She waved to me next, "Hey, Annabeth- got a new boy?" She asked.

I rolled my eyes and slipped out from under Bobby's arm. I quickened my stride until I caught up with Percy. I grabbed his hand and asked him, "How's the memory coming?"

Percy shook his head, "coming, slowly- I guess."

"It'll come back eventually- sometimes it takes longer, for instance Jason got his memories back after he completed a quest rescuing Hera-"

"He rescued Hera?"

"Yeah, I know, terrible idea, and now we're at war with Gaea, but anyway- Hera gave him back his memories but still, he doesn't remember everything. He doesn't even know entirely who Reyna is- and Reyna was his girlfriend!" I tried comforting him.

"True, but I still wish I could remember more…"

"You will, in time," I told him.

When we finally did find Chiron, the old centaur was talking to Rachel, our red-haired oracle- though I think I liked the old oracle just fine…. you know, the creepy one that lived in the attic. At least now, Rachel could live a long, sad, and lonely life, with spitting out the occasional prophesy being her only purpose in life- I didn't mind that so much, especially since she was so willing to take the job.

Back to my point- as soon as the two of them saw us coming, Rachel squealed like some hyped-up hamster and ran to hug Percy. "Oh, Percy! You're here! Thank the gods, you're alright!"

From in her grip, Percy said, "Hi- umm…" he searched for a name.

"…Rachel," Rachel helped him out. "Amnesia for you, too? Hmmm… well, you'll remember me soon enough!"

"Amnesia?" Clarisse muttered to herself- I could already see those slow gears turning in her head.

"How was the trip?" Chiron asked.

"Well, we survived it," I answered. "We had to fight our way through giant spiders, gorgons, and a chimera- you would have thought we were on a quest!"

"Giant spiders, you say?" Chiron smiled wryly.

"Well, just one giant spider- Arachne. Gaea brought her back from the dead and she nearly killed me," I added.

"Well, it's good you're back. Are these the Roman demigods?"Chiron asked. "When Luke returned to camp, that was quite a shock to the rest of us. He had said the Roman demigods were also preparing for war as well."

"Yes, that's true," Bobby stepped up.

"Most of our plans so far are defensive, since we haven't got nearly the military force to begin a war with Gaea," Hazel detailed.

"…And who are you, if I may ask?" Chiron wondered.

"Robert Ivers- err… Bobby," Bobby introduced himself timidly, offering a hand to shake. Chiron shook his hand and turned to the others.

"Hazel Wright, pleased to meet you," Hazel greeted.

"Dakota," Dakota said simply, leaving it at that.

"Gwendolyn Boon."

And, "Reyna Flores." They all took their turn shaking hands with Chiron.

"Anyway, we came as diplomats from Lupa, hoping to negotiate an alliance for the coming war. We heard you, Greeks, were preparing too," Hazel went on.

"An alliance might be just what we need. As for preparations so far, we have begun building a battleship- the Argo 2.0," Chiron didn't argue. I suppose that Chiron felt we needed all the help we could get, even if it was from strangers.

"Leo finished his ship?" Piper wondered.

"Almost, you should see for yourselves," Chiron told her. Piper smiled at Jason, grabbed his hand and tugged him along to go find Leo.

"Who's Leo?" Reyna asked. When I took more than two seconds to answer, she didn't wait and ran off behind them.

Clarisse turned to me then, with a raised fist, "You had said this was something to do with the _prophesy_!" Before I spoke, she made her own assumptions, "Well I ought to-"

"Clarisse, it _could_ have to do with the prophesy, whether or not it actually does, I don't know," I interrupted her.

"What's the prophesy, again?" Percy asked.

"Something Rachel started shouting about a week or two before you disappeared," I said quickly. "Let's go say 'hi' to Leo."

"Do I know him?" Percy asked, "the name doesn't ring a bell."

"Good, 'cause you don't, he came here with Piper and Jason." I turned to Clarisse, "How'd you break your foot again?"

She obviously didn't want to tell us and limped away.

* * *

We found Leo out behind the Hephaestus Cabin. He had been working on the Argo 2.0, the enormous ship was lying on its side, on the ground. It was surprisingly big- definitely something that could cross an ocean, maybe not the Atlantic Ocean, but some sort of sea. Leo had to stand on scaffolding just to work on the motor. The curly-haired, Hephaestus boy was wearing a once-orange Camp Half-blood t-shirt stained with motor oil beyond recognition and a loose-fitting tool belt around his hips. When he saw Jason and Piper coming he jumped to the ground to hug them both.

"You guys have been gone for forever!" Leo sighed.

"Leo, it was only two weeks!" Jason answered.

"Still- it was two weeks by myself!"

"Not entirely by yourself!" A voice called. A girl with a red bandana poked her head out from the scaffolding. She too, jumped to the ground.

"You don't count, Nyssa!"

"Who's this?" Piper asked.

"Nyssa- my half-sister, she and Harley have been helping me build this thing since you two deserted me," Leo complained. "Outside of those two, no one else will give me the time of day!"

"It doesn't help that the only people _this one_ tries to talk to are the stuck-up Aphrodite girls," Nyssa scoffed.

"That reminds me, is your sister coming back anytime soon, man?" Leo asked Jason.

Jason bit his lip. That was an awkward question. _Had something gone on between Thalia and Leo that I missed?_ Umm… perhaps not. "Yeah, she is coming- she'll be here soon," Jason looked around for something else to talk about.

Then Leo noticed the makeshift cast and sling that Jason's arm was wrapped in. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh, this… I broke it we think. Annabeth tried her best to set it," Jason shrugged it off. He didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

* * *

As I thought he would, Chiron called a meeting. Everyone at camp attended, each sitting with their own cabin. By then the Hunters had arrived- both Hunters of Artemis and the Hunters of Diana. At the meeting there was a bit of a conflict on where each should sit, mostly between the two groups of hunters. Poor Percy and Jason had to sit off by themselves. Bobby looked around self-consciously among the other Apollo kids, clearly uncomfortable. Everyone had to sit with their respective family, Greek or Roman. Luke was sitting with the Hermes kids. They all kept their distance, not wanting to get to close to him. After all, we had all watched him die only just a few months ago.

Chiron was explaining why the Romans were here, that they would be staying for a little while as diplomats. "Be nice," he warned, specifically eyeing the Hermes kids. He didn't mention Percy's amnesia, perhaps that wasn't so important, or perhaps implied, after all, we had figured out that that might happen before I found the Roman camp. After the meeting, I caught Percy talking to Travis and Conner Stoll. He was handing them money. _Oh gods…_

I hurried over to figure out what he was doing. "What's up?" I asked.

"How come you didn't tell me Conner was my banker?"

"What are you talking about, Seaweed Brain?"

Conner stepped in, "You know, right? From the Nemesis Bank of Demigods..?"

"You seriously believe him?" I asked Percy.

"Yeah, the Nemesis cabin always kept money for everyone else back at Legion Camp… why?" Percy thought for a moment. "Oh… they don't have that here… Wait… Conner Stoll, is it?"

Conner nodded, counting the cash Percy had handed him. Percy snatched the money back, "Can't believe I nearly fell for that! Conner Stoll- from the Hermes Cabin! I remember you now!"

"Oh, good, Seaweed Brain, of all schemes to fall for, that had to be the most stupid!" I giggled.

"I almost lost twenty bucks."

* * *

**_Hope you liked it- this was only Part I of this chapter, if there are any specifics I missed, please tell me so I can include more in Part II. I love hearing ideas, and do try to include things. Please write a review! Thank you!_**


	28. Coming Back to Camp HalfBlood: Part II

**_Hope you enjoy the story but first- to answer a quick question: Yes, Colbyn, of course I read the reviews. I would also like to thank at this time all of my faithful readers- and especially those who review!_**

* * *

Before Conner and Travis Stoll left, I remembered to ask, "Do you know what happened to Clarisse?"

"Oh, her foot?" Travis piped up, snickering.

"She stepped on 'the Lamer'!" Conner chuckled.

"The Lamer?" Clarisse used to call it the Maimer but nobody else ever did. "Wasn't that old thing destroyed in the war against the Titans?"

"Heh, yeah, it _was_," Travis smirked, "She thought it was worth re-building. Jason offered to help her with the whole electrical part. He did, sorta-"

"He ended up roastin' her foot like it was a half-rack of baby-back ribs!" Conner snorted.

"What?" Percy asked for clarification.

"Jason was bringing a lightning bolt right to where Clarisse needed it but I hear that Clarisse couldn't hold still enough for a whole three seconds so she moved and the bolt hit her in the foot!"

"It was pretty hilarious!"

"Ha, guess that explains why Clarisse won't talk about it," I muttered to Percy.

"I wouldn't if I were her either!" Percy said back.

When we left the meeting, Percy asked me, "Where's Grover? He's one of the few friends I actually remember."

I thought about that for a moment, he should be around here somewhere. "I'm not sure- he's probably with the other satyrs. I'm sure he'll come running as soon as he hears you're back." Percy left it at that, deciding he'd wait to find Grover.

* * *

That night, there was a game of capture the flag to celebrate our return. Though Percy was all hyped up for the game, for once, I sat out on this one. Hazel, Bobby, and the other Romans weren't invited to play- well everyone except Jason, but often enough we would forget he wasn't a Greek. Tonight's games were the Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Mercury cabins and the Big Three boys, against the Apollo, Ares, Demeter, and all the minor gods' cabins. Leo and Piper were looking forward to fighting Jason- all in good fun of course. Luke wasn't invited to play either as I don't think anyone would be too keen on fighting him after what happened last summer. Just before the game started, I saw Ari sharpening a couple small daggers. Nico watched from a fair distance with a look of terror on his face, fully believing those daggers were meant to be aimed at him.

Bobby joined me good-humoredly at the edge of the woods to watch the games begin. Once all the campers had dispersed off into the dark woods, we left to wander around camp for a little while before curfew.

"So how long do you suppose we'll be here?" Bobby wondered.

"Not too long- once Leo finishes the Argo II then we'll be on our way… there's been rumors going around that the prophesy revealed here a few months ago just might be coming soon. Either way, there a quest coming- both of us- Greeks and Romans- have to fight off the giants in Greece. Hera explained that. So, as soon as the ship is done- then we're off again," I told him.

"How long?" Bobby reiterated.

"A week tops, a few days is more likely, why? You don't like it here?"

"No, not really," Bobby didn't try to hide his feelings. "It's weird, back at Legion Camp, I was respected. I haven't even been here a day and someone's already tried to kill me."

"Oh, that was just Clarisse. Don't worry too much about her, she was just crabby today," I urged.

"At least you're here…" Bobby looked into my eyes and grinned.

I changed the tone with, "What about that cut on your forehead? Did you ever get that looked at?"

The red cut over his eye seemed painful. He wouldn't need stitches because it wasn't deep. I almost wondered how he'd gotten it. "Oh, right, that… No, I didn't have it looked at, I didn't have a mirror on the journey over here. Barely noticed it at all."

"Oh, Bobby…" I huffed. "The Apollo cabin should have some first-aid supplies, let's go!" I pulled him along leading him to the Apollo cabin.

I forced him to sit down on the steps outside of the Apollo Cabin- it was empty so I doubted that anyone would mind me sneaking in to grab disinfectant and band-aids. I hurried back outside.

"Good choice, obviously you do know first aid," Bobby congratulated. "I once got hurt and Dakota tried putting some sort of cream on my wounds- but I'm pretty sure he just lathered me up with Vaseline and called it a day."

I laughed, "I think I'm a bit more reliable than that!" I pulled out a band-aid and stuck it to his forehead. "Better?"

"Perfect."

"Good."

Bobby stood up, then pulled me to my feet. "I never wanted to leave you behind, back there- when we were fighting Python… Bellatrix and Thalia convinced everyone else to keep moving on. Since I couldn't go find you, I came up with the idea of leaving a trail for you," Bobby felt the need to explain himself.

"Yeah, originally that was our plan too, but without a map, we didn't know where to go and ended up following you guys- nice thinking leaving a trail for us."

Bobby leaned towards me, "I had to keep my promise- make sure you wouldn't get hurt."

My smile faded. I remembered Cupid's arrows- how do I reverse that? Apollo never could and that didn't turn out so well. He fell for Daphne, a nymph who despised him- she turned into a tree to get away from him and you know what he did? As a tree, he cut her down and wore her branches as a crown on his head!

He didn't notice- it was as though he was blind to anything less than perfect or ideal. He probably didn't even know he'd been shot with one of Cupid's arrows.

"Bobby? Have you ever heard the story of Apollo and Daphne?" I knew he had, but this was the most convenient way of explaining things. By then Bobby had stopped listening. He pulled me in and kissed me- and kept kissing me. His arms fell around my waist and he didn't let me go.

Then of course, oh-so-conveniently, I heard Percy calling, "Annabeth!" in the distance.

I ripped Bobby away, but by then it was too late. We were in the middle of camp, I could feel the eyes of others weighing heavily on me.

Bobby whispered to me, "I love you, _Wise Girl_…"

_Whoa…_

* * *

Percy stared at me, obviously hurt, his eyes never exactly met mine. I tried to push Bobby away, but he wouldn't budge. There was a difficult silence between us- I should have spoken up, but what could I say? At this point, just about anything would sound like a lie.

Suddenly, Percy looked away and stormed off without a word.

"Wait! Percy!" my eyes welled with tears. I hurried after him. _Oh gods,_ what have I done? "Percy!"

He had run off and I couldn't catch up. He was gone.

* * *

I didn't know where to go- where to turn to. I went to the Athena Cabin- my refuge. I slammed the door behind me. The cabin was empty and a good thing too. I knew tears were coming. I breathed heavily.

There was a knock on the door. I ignored it, whoever it was- they could wait, I didn't need to talk now. "Annabeth! Open up!" came from the other side of the door. I waited a moment hoping whoever it was would just go away. They didn't. The door opened and Clarisse slipped inside."What happened?"

"I don't even know…" I sobbed. Clarisse stood by my side and waited for me to pull myself together enough to speak. I managed to muster up, "Capture the flag ended early?"

"Yeah, one of the Hunters has been disowned- with news like that the game's been postponed," Clarisse let me change the subject for just a little while.

"Which one?"

"I don't know- they're all the same to me," Clarisse shrugged. She was waiting for me to get to my actual problem.

"Percy saw Bobby kissing me… Bobby called me '_Wise Girl'_."

"Wise Girl?"

"That's what Percy calls me," I sighed.

"Oh…What did Percy do?" Clarisse urged me on.

A tear streamed down my cheek as I told her, "he didn't say anything- no, nothing at all! He didn't say anything. He just walked away…"

Clarisse put her hand on my shoulder, "Calm down, Annabeth. That's not so bad." She struggled with the right words, but was trying her best. "After all, you and Percy were Aphrodite's favorite couple." When I had calmed down enough, Clarisse slipped back outside the Athena Cabin, "to keep unwanted visitors out" she explained.

"That many people saw that?" I asked.

She shrugged, closing the door behind her.

* * *

I plucked up enough courage to leave the Athena Cabin not too long after Clarisse left. Outside I saw Clarisse with her back turned to me, arguing with Bobby.

"Why can't I talk to-" then he spotted me, "Annabeth!"

I didn't say anything. I noticed that across the way, there was Percy climbing down from the steps of another cabin- a minor god's cabin, one of my additions. He walked over towards us- never looking to me once.

Percy glared at Bobby, "Stay away from her!" I watched when Percy's fist connected with Bobby's jaw. I didn't know whether to gasp or grin. Bobby stumbled backwards, caught off-guard. He grabbed Brushstroke preparing for a fight. _No._ I expected Percy to grab for Riptide, he didn't, instead he pulled out something else from behind his back. _An arrow. _

"Wait! Percy! Stop! Don't!" I shouted. They both stopped dead in their tracks.

"Why?" Percy asked in frustration, "This could solve everything!"

"No, it won't!" I pleaded. "I wish it were that simple."

A small crowd had gathered, expecting a fight. I heard Clarisse asking in the background, "What is it?"

Percy dropped the arrow. "We have to find another way!" I begged. Percy expression softened. "Like you said, Seaweed Brain, if I've got you, he shouldn't matter."

Bobby spoke up, "What's that arrow for?"

"You, if you're not careful," Percy snapped.

"It's a blunt arrow from Eros, I assume," I picked it up, careful not to touch the arrow's head.

"What's it do?" Bobby asked suspiciously.

"It would make you leave me and Annabeth alone for forever," Percy still thought it would work.

"That's not entirely true, Percy. The arrows work like the rite of Aphrodite- they create feelings that last. The sharp arrows make you fall in love, with just one person, the blunt ones can make you despise everyone of the opposite sex. Neither arrow is going to help in this situation," I explained. "We can find another way to work this out."

Bobby cocked his head to the side, "You two are talking as though… was I hit with one of those arrows?"

Percy nodded quickly. "We think so," I added.

"No… that can't be right," Bobby reasoned. "I love you Annabeth- that isn't something I'm just making up! Say what you want, but you know the truth." Bobby walked away, going to gods know where.

* * *

I apologized to Percy a couple times. He acted as though what happened didn't hurt him, but it obviously did. When Bobby walked away, we didn't head after him. The argument was over- we didn't want to dwell on things like that. Besides, I had other things to attend to. Clarisse had mentioned a hunter getting disowned- I had to talk to Thalia. As we headed over, I asked Percy to see if he knew anything more. Percy hadn't even heard that that was the reason the game of Capture the Flag was canceled- all the more reason to investigate.

We found Thalia at the edge of the woods. She was sitting on a fallen tree-trunk with her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Thalia, what happened?" Percy asked.

Thalia snapped out of her gloom, and looked up at us. "A hunter should know when to quit, to be disowned is just mortifying…"

* * *

**_What do you think? Kind of dramatic, but you get the point. Please write a review! Your comments and ideas are incredibly helpful. Thanks!_**


	29. A Former Hunter's Dilemma

"What happened?" Percy asked again.

Thalia sighed running her fingers through her dark, spiky hair. Phoebe spoke up, "It's just a disgrace."

Thalia went into explaining things, "The game should have gone on just fine, but everyone always makes a big deal when kids are claimed- or in this case, unclaimed. I knew something was up back in New Jersey, she had been separated from us for too long. I guess she sort of forgot what being a hunter was all about- it's a pity… She had potential to do really well with us."

"You mean Ari? She was disowned?" Percy wondered.

"Of course- weren't you listening at all?" Thalia snapped.

"Why?" I asked.

"Ask her- she should know better than we do," Phoebe grumbled. Obviously this was taking a toll on the other Hunters of Artemis.

"Where is she?" Percy asked.

"In her cabin-"

"The Artemis cabin?"

"No, of course not, that would be shameful," Phoebe muttered. "She's in the Eos cabin now."

"Eos?" Percy asked me.

"One of the minor gods- Eos, goddess of dawn. I remember drawing out plans for that cabin not too long ago," I told Percy.

Percy and I departed from them, heading off to find Ari. We came to the Eos cabin- a small cabin that I designed to look like a white light house, but instead of a light on the top floor, there were telescopes poking out from the windows.

"I don't remember this cabin ever being here," Percy whispered.

"We started building it a couple weeks before you disappeared along with several other cabins, I wouldn't expect you to remember it. Besides, when we built it, it was empty- we heard Eos did have children, they just don't stay here for whatever reason," I clarified.

"Oh, makes sense- why were we building all these cabins again?"

"Because_ you_ wanted it that way- I don't know what you were thinking when you mad that decision instead of immortality, but that was what you wanted- cabins for every god and for every demigod to be claimed," I answered.

"Really… I remember that, now! That was the day your mother actually accepted me." Percy grinned. "That was a good day… Do you remember when Clarisse and Conner threw us in the lake?"

My cheeks burned red; I bit my lip and nodded. My heart sped. He was referring to the day we got together- Clarisse and Conner threw us in the lake and he kissed me underwater.

"Why can't we go back to being like that?" Percy said to himself- I don't think he meant for me to hear.

I squeezed his hand, "'Cause you had forgotten…"

"Not for long," Percy huffed.

When we came to the door of the Eos Cabin, we were suddenly stopped.

"Wait!" It was just Nico. He had been waiting outside. "Are you going in there?"

"Yeah, that's why we're here. What's it to you?" Percy asked him.

Nico glanced over his shoulder as though expecting someone or something might be watching. When he assured himself, he glanced up at us and said, "I'll go in with you guys… I didn't want to go in earlier. I feel like she might be in one of those moods where she's bound to throw something at me."

"Yeah, sure, man, you can come in with us," Percy smiled and patted him on the shoulder for encouragement.

Percy pulled open the door and immediately, as almost expected, an alarm clock came whirling over our heads landing in the snow outside behind us.

"Told you so," Nico muttered to us.

I stepped inside to find the little, black-haired girl sitting on the floor with her head in her hands. She wasn't wearing her hunters' furs or helmet, but instead a striped, long-sleeve t-shirt and a wool, winter hat. She seemed normal, no longer a hunter- it was strange. "What do you want?" She growled, choking back tears.

"We heard what happened. We wanted to check on you, see how you were handling this," Percy said first.

"I'm just fine! Thank you very much!" she spat sarcastically. She looked up at us. Her light eyes were tainted pink. She looked up at Nico, and sniffled, "Perfectly _fine_! Why are you here?"

Nico shrugged, "We're friends, aren't we?"

Ari scowled, "It's because of _you_ this even happened!"

"Me?" Nico asked in disbelief. "What did I do?" he wondered.

Ari screamed, pulling a pillow from the bed closest to her and whipping it at him. The pillow didn't have much of an effect on Nico- or at least not as much as Ari probably intended. A pillow wasn't much of a weapon. "Our _friendship_ is what made Lady Artemis kick me out!" Even under all this stress, she still seemed to have respect for Artemis. Ari burst out into sobs. I sat down next to her on the floor and tried to calm her down- she needed her friends, and for now it seemed like it was only going to be us three. In between her sobs, she told me, "I-I huh-had dreams, L-lady Artemis would talk to me… Shuh-she told me that I cuh-dn't be like my mom- Eos…" She took a deep breath. "I wasn't- I was a hunter, right? I-I guess that wasn't enough…"

"Your mother? Why did she bring up Eos?" I wondered, raking my brain to see if I knew.

Ari sniffled. "'Cause of Orion- my mom and Lady Artemis have been enemies ever since. She didn't like me being friends with Nico, I guess." She moped.

"Orion? She's angry over that? I thought Artemis swore off men!" Nico fussed.

"Not Orion, Artemis loved Orion, but so did Eos. Artemis was jealous and eventually killed Orion- I think it was one of those if-I-can't-have-him-no-one-can mentalities," I spoke up to explain.

"Maybe it's a good thing she swore off men," Nico giggled. He sat down on the floor next to me and Ari and put an arm around her shoulders, buddy-style. "I'd say you're lucky not be a hunter if you don't have to deal with _her_." Ari forced a smile, trying to feel better.

"How 'bout we get out of here- see if the nymphs can make us a batch of ice cream?" Percy offered Ari. "It seems like we could all use some ice cream…"

"You three go ahead, I can catch up," Ari answered Percy. Ari stood up wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I probably should clean up a little in here first. 'Specially since this is going to be my new home."

"I'll help you," I insisted. "We'll catch up with you," I told Nico and Percy. Percy nodded and led Nico out. I followed them to the door to pull the alarm clock Ari threw up out of the snow. I dusted it off. The clock face was splintered- wow, that was some fury. I brought it back inside and set it down on Ari's nightstand.

"You've got boy trouble too?" Ari asked. I looked at her suspiciously. How did she know about what happened? "I may not be some genius Athena kid, but I'm not stupid, besides I could hear you and Percy talking outside."

"Oh. Boy trouble?" I asked her.

"Artemis kicked me out 'cause I kind of like Nico… kind of – or it was something like that," Ari muttered.

"Why are you telling me this? It's not that I don't appreciate it and all, but I'm not exactly your B-F-F," I replied.

"Well, I've got to talk to someone- it's not as though I've got any other friends. You know, you, Percy, and Nico are the only ones who have actually asked about how I was feeling or cared enough to come talk to me. I haven't got anyone else," Ari sighed putting her pillow back on her bed.

"Don't worry, Ari, you can always talk to me," I felt sorry for her, I guess she really didn't have anyone.

"We should probably go and catch up with the boys," Ari said looking around the room. It was tidy enough. It was a lovely cabin especially since she was the only one to live in it. The cabin was a white, circular room with white walls that faded from gray to black as it reached the ceiling. Across the black ceiling was a diagram of the stars and constellations. There was a ladder on the wall leading up to the lighthouse tower. I probably couldn't have designed it any better.

"Alright, let's go." I swung open the door and we headed out.

* * *

It didn't take long for us to find Percy and Nico.

"Annabeth! Look who I found!" Percy called as soon as he saw me, "Grover!"

"Oh, Grover!" I greeted the satyr giving him a hug. I hadn't seen him in months. "How's everything been?"

"Not _baa_-d," Grover bleated. "And you?"

"Could be better…" I muttered. "Anyway, what happened to getting ice cream?" I looked at Percy.

"Juniper wanted to make it fresh, she's making it now," Grover told. "She is so good at making ice cream- her pine needle sorbet just makes me- mmmmh…"

"Anyway, we were just talking about that upcoming quest in Greece- I invited Grover to come with us," Percy continued.

"About that, Percy, _baa_-d news, man, I'm kind of gettin' too old for these things."

"Too old? You're hardly old, G-man," Percy poked.

"But, Juniper threatens to join the Hunters if I go on another quest, she worries too much. And besides, I've already earned my horns," Grover said. It seemed his horns had possibly grown a bit longer since I'd last seen him- they had really grown over the last few years. "But guys, I've got a nephew who might want to go- he's coming here to help Chiron in a couple weeks."

"Couple weeks? That's a bummer, we're leaving soon."

"You guys have fun without me- besides I don't think they make very good enchiladas in Greece…" Grover laughed.

Then Juniper came through with a tray of bowls and ice cream. "Annabeth!" She welcomed, "and who's this? A new demigod?"

"Ariadne Solari, former Hunter, present daughter of Eos, pleased to meet you," Ari introduced herself.

"How 'bout some ice cream?" Juniper asked anxiously. "Winter's not the best time to make it- there's not too many fresh fruits and things to flavor it, so I've made pine needle sorbet, pomegranate ice cream, and a new concoction I just came up with- made from dried cinnamon, shaved ice and pine nuts."

I tried my best to keep a straight face while listening- no typical flavors of course, but then again, Grover loves any food- even if it's not technically food and nymph's like anything organic even if it does taste like dirt. I helped myself to a bowl of pomegranate ice cream- the safest choice.

When Ari reached for a bowl of pomegranate ice cream as well, Nico stopped her, saying, "I wouldn't do that if I were you- not much good ever came from eating pomegranates..."

"What are you talking about, Ghost boy?" Ari giggled.

"Just sayin'," Nico shrugged.

Ari grabbed the bowl anyway, and shoved a good scoop of it into her mouth. "Ha! Still here, aren't I?"

"I never said it would do anything to you."

Ari looked down at her bowl, scooped up another spoonful and stared at it thoughtfully. After a moment, she bent the spoon back, launching the ice cream at Nico.

The purple ice cream hit his neck, and quickly dripped down the front of his shirt. "Lunatic! What was that for?"

Ari just smiled. "I'm not a Lunatic anymore."

"That's right, I'll have to think of a new nickname then."

Percy dared to try Juniper's concoction. I only saw him try one spoonful before wincing, then simply pushing the ice cream around in his bowl so Juniper wouldn't notice.

It wasn't until Juniper and Grover left that Percy confided, "Styx, that stuff was terrible!"

I laughed, "I can't believe you actually tried eating it- didn't you hear what she was putting into it?"

"It didn't sound that bad when she was describing it," Percy defended. We were headed back towards our cabins. It must have been passed curfew- camp was deserted. Percy then changed the subject, "Bobby said earlier that he loves you- any truth in that?"

I exhaled. "He's said that a few times before, I guess there has to be some truth in it- whether or not the arrows have to do with anything," I told Percy.

"But you-"

"Don't worry, Seaweed Brain- Bobby's just a friend. That's why I couldn't let you stab him with that arrow."

"Some reason- he is still obsessed with you."

"I know, but that doesn't mean he won't move on eventually. Fortunately, even with the arrow's charm as it is, he can still fall in love with other girls- I think…" I told Percy.

He scratched his head, "But that wouldn't erase the feelings he has for you though, will it?"

"I doubt it- this is just what information I can gather of off what happened to Apollo. He never got over Daphne, but he moved on- sorta."

"So there's hope?" Percy grinned.

"There's always hope, Seaweed Brain."

* * *

The next morning, I awoke to a loud crash and a couple screams. I quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and hurried outside. First thing I noticed was fire- the top branches of the forest were blazing with ash falling to the ground. A couple of satyrs rushed to the scene with pales of water only to realize they couldn't actually reach the flame from the ground. A couple nymphs were screaming.

Above the tree tops was the source of that fire: the Argo II, a bronze ship with the flaming head of Festus, the Bronze Automaton dragon. It floated like a balloon, tied to the ground with a couple sets of chains.

For now, the fire was going to be a problem… I rushed over to the Poseidon cabin, banging on the door. When Seaweed Brain didn't answer, I flung the door open. "'Morning, Seaweed Brain, get your butt out of bed- we need you- NOW!"

Percy sprung up, "Wh-What?" He searched around frantically.

"Come on! The Argo II started a fire. We need you to put it out!" I hurried.

Percy yawned. He climbed out of bed, still in his pajamas, left his cabin to go help. He was more than willing. By the time we arrived at the scene, the branches were still burning and the entire lower trunk was soaked with water- the satyrs couldn't reach the flames and just kept throwing water frantically at the trees. Percy with little more than a flick of his wrist was able to splash the water up high enough that it could put out the flames.

"Good job, Percy." I thanked him. Getting up like that was probably less than ideal.

Then of course- no good deed goes unpunished. "Nice P.J.s, Jackson," Clarisse hooted. A few others laughed too.

Percy shrugged, "well what was I supposed to do? My girlfriend busts into my cabin and pulls me out of bed to go put out a fire-"

I stopped him, "You're one to talk, Clarisse, I don't suppose Vogue is drooling over a helmet as hideous as yours." Clarisse was fuming, but quickly turned her back to us and walked off.

"Remember that the next time you have to deal with Clarisse," I told him.

"Thanks, Wise Girl."

"On the plus side, it looks like Leo finished the Argo II, I bet we'll be leaving soon," I stared up at the ship.

"How soon?" Percy wondered.

"I'd guess, since it's finished, tonight perhaps," I estimated.

"That soon?"

I nodded, "Better get packing then!" Already, I could tell, this would be quite a trip.

* * *

**_This chapter was a little slower... I didn't like it as much. But the story will speed up again of course! Oh and as always- I would love to hear your ideas for upcoming chapters such as characters, plot twists, things you just need to see happen. I try to include as much as I can- at the moment I'm thinking/looking for new/classic monsters to add for their next trip. Any thoughts? I'd love to hear it. Also, as always, write a review, amabo te!(please)- if you love it that's good, if you hate it- please tell me where I've gone horribly wrong. Gratias Ago!_**


	30. Sailing to Sea Monsters

Chiron called a meeting for the cabin leaders, the Roman diplomats, and Rachel, to decide who would be going on the trip to Greece. We all gathered around the ping-pong table in the Big House for the meeting. When I arrived I saw Clarisse fiddling with a dagger as though she might just stab something. Then there was Travis Stoll waving a piece of steak in front of the snarling leopard, Seymour head, just out of his reach, Katie Gardner stood by appalled but too afraid to give the leopard the steak. Conner Stoll was pick-pocketing Will Solace when he had his back turned playing ping-pong against Ari. Ari seemed happier now than yesterday and was really putting up a challenge in her game of ping-pong. Once everyone arrived, we sat around the ping-pong table to begin making decisions.

"The prophesy calls for seven demigods," Rachel announced. "The Argo II is finished, so we need to decide who those seven demigods are going to be."

"Well, if it's Jason's quest, isn't he the one who's supposed to decide?" Will Solace wondered.

"Partially, yes, but there's a few other things to consider- like the Roman diplomats," Rachel continued.

"But there's five of them- how's that supposed to work out?" Katie Gardner blurted out.

"Not all of them need to go- only enough of them that there is equal representation. Three Romans, three Greeks, and Jason, fair? Oh, and perhaps a guide- there's a new satyr coming, one of Grover Underwood's relative, Grover has asked that we consider him for that position.

"Only three Greeks?" Clarisse groan.

"C'mon! It's not like we get quests everyday!" Butch complained.

"It's only fair," Rachel insisted. "What do you say Jason?"

"Ummm…" Jason was put on the spot. "Yeah, sounds reasonable."

"So, who's coming on this quest?" Clarisse asked eagerly.

"A few things I've already decided- Leo built the Argo II, he'll sail it for us," Jason announced. "I've already told Annabeth that she'll be invited along, something tells me she'll be pretty knowledgeable for a quest like this." Jason then looked to Piper. "Pipes? You up to coming?" Jason asked. I knew he'd invite Piper along.

"'Course I am, besides I don't know what you would have done without me on that last quest!" Piper cheered.

"Why Piper?" Clarisse growled. "If you need someone just to stand around and look pretty, I know plenty of other girls who are a whole lot more useful than some Aphrodite chick!"

"Without Piper, Leo and I may never have left Medea's shop," Jason explained. "I may not have completed that last quest without her- so yeah, she's a whole lot more than just a pretty face."

Piper's cheeks turned bright red. Clarisse just stabbed the ping-pong table with a knife several times over. All of the spots for the Greek demigods were filled. Percy's face fell. He hardly knew Jason at all, why would Jason choose him? I looked at Percy, a little worried. There had been times where he hadn't been picked for a quest- I could count on him finding a loophole or something somehow. Even knowing that, with him not being picked, that was still discouraging. Poor Percy…

"Now for the Romans…?" Rachel wanted to continue.

"Ummm…." Jason closed his eyes and quickly said, "Hazel, Bobby, and Gwen."

"What?" Dakota cried out. Reyna scowled at him- I already knew what she was thinking- '_he_ picked Piper and not _me,'_ or something to that degree.

"I'm sorry, but I had to make a choice," Jason squeaked.

"Awesome!" Rachel exclaimed- she was the only one who felt that way. Seven was way too little a number to actually keep everyone happy. "You all can set off as soon as that new satyr gets in." She was so happy and hyper, it sickened me- especially since Percy was so upset over it all.

"Why does Bobby get to go and not me?" Dakota whined.

"Bobby?"

"Well, Hazel's smart and Gwen can fight- why Bobby?" Dakota wasn't giving up without an answer.

"Hey!" Bobby complained.

"Bobby's helped me on quests since we were eleven, I've gotta include him," Jason explained.

"Oh, but-"

"Discussion's over!" Clarisse pried her dagger from the ping-pong table and stormed off, incredibly angry that once again, she was not picked to go on a quest.

"Oh, brother," I groaned heading off after her to make sure she didn't create too much damage.

* * *

Clarisse's rage only made it as far as the archer fields before I was able to stop it. It helped that she was much slower hobbling around with one foot in a cast, but that still didn't stop her from running after campers 'Lamer' in hand. She always does that when she's frustrated- takes it out on some poor camper. Not today. I stepped in, calmed her down, she actually listens to me- _sometimes_. Unfortunately, I may have just made things slightly worse.

"Clarisse! They don't even know why you've angry!" I defended the others.

"Well, I'll show them!"

"No! No- Clarisse, they didn't do anything wrong- don't take it out on them!" I urged.

"They didn't. Jason did." Clarisse grumbled, "You're right, 'sides, I never got even after that little airhead put my foot in a cast!" Clarisse spun around and hobbled off in another direction. Jason could handle himself. At least I tried.

Once I was done dealing with Clarisse, I went to go search for Percy. I had to talk to him – since he wasn't invited to go on this quest, I could already guess he was thinking up something brash to get him on it. I felt sorry for him, I don't think it's going to work this time around.

I searched around camp for several minutes before I gave up on finding him- Percy would turn up somewhere. Instead, I found Bobby. The moment I saw him I quickly turned the other way, hoping he'd take the hint- but he didn't, I should have known.

"Wait, Annabeth!" Bobby called. I turned saying nothing. "I know that I am probably the last person you want to talk to after what happened yesterday, but I have to talk to you- I have to apologize. I'm sorry I acted so brashly yesterday- it was out of line and offensive," he said this all as though he'd written it out and memorized it to recite. "Since Percy let me know that this is all because of Cupid's arrows, I've since gone to the Eros cabin, here, and asked them for help. It's not great help, but they're trying. I thought I'd tell you that I'd stop bothering you now-"

"Bobby, no, don't talk like that- you never bothered me, you're a _friend_- let's just try to keep it that way," I spoke softly. "Just tone down the romantic stuff, please. That's all. "Besides, it seems like I'll be stuck with you for a while on this trip to Greece."

Bobby exhaled slowly. "Gratias ago, filia Minerva," he said in Latin. I was glad- possibly the awkwardness would be over- I hoped.

Suddenly, we heard the sound of a horn being blow- not a typical horn, it was a lower, gurgled horn, that could only come from one thing- Conner's conch shell. It meant there was something going on noteworthy of our attention. Naturally, I had to investigate.

Outside the Big House, I figured out what all the ruckus was about- Grover's nephew had arrived, so the quest starts ASAP. As soon as I noticed, I didn't even wait to hear anything about the newcomer, I had to find Percy. I scanned through the crowd- and nowhere! He wasn't there. Oh, gods, he's got to be up to something…

For a moment, I was almost a little jealous he hadn't clued me in on whatever it was, but then again, perhaps it's best I don't know.

Grover's nephew up on the Big House porch looked surprisingly like Grover. If the two weren't standing side-by-side I might have mistaken one for the other. Grover's nephew was shorter than him by a couple inches and didn't have horns. They both had the same dark curly hair. "The young faun, Oakley Colbyn Heatherington-Hedge, the third," Chiron introduced. "…A distant cousin to Gleeson Hedge, who was here a few months ago."

"Oakley? Like the sunglasses?" Drew wondered. Of course the first thing she asks is about brand names.

"Oakley Hedge, is fine… please," the satyr squeaked.

I didn't hear what Grover said to that. Oakley's arrival meant we'd be leaving tonight, so I had no time to waste. I rushed back to the Athena Cabin, loaded up a backpack with all the stuff I'd lugged with me out to Legion Camp, and went off to the ship.

* * *

Leo dropped a latter down the side of it for me to climb aboard. The ship was anchored, but even anchored, the hull was still floating at least a yard off the ground. Flames danced around the hull. Leo had the flames under control so I didn't burn to a crisp just climbing aboard.

"Are we leaving soon?" Leo wondered. "I can't wait to see what Festus can do now!"

"Festus? Isn't that Latin for 'happy'?" I asked. That was one of the few words I remembered teaching myself on the trip over to Legion Camp.

"Ummm… yes and no, Festus was what I called Hephaestus's Bronze Dragon. He broke not too long ago, but I repaired him- modified him, and made him into the Argo II," Leo told me patting the flaming side of the boat thoughtfully.

"Happy, the Dragon?" I wondered.

"Yep."

"Sounds _terrifying_," I teased.

Leo's smile faded. "Wait… we're leaving soon?"

"Yeah, that's right, as soon as everyone gets here," I answered.

"Gods! I haven't got much time then," Leo said quickly.

"Leo? Where are you going?" He was already descending down the ladder.

"I've got to go say goodbye to Thalia!"

Once Leo left, I walked around the deck looking down at Camp. I could see just about everything from up there- everything and everyone. Up there by myself, I started to think, what if Percy wasn't coming this time? I had expected him to come or something, but he wasn't on the ship now- he never told me he would be coming.

He wasn't coming…

I had to go find him- I rushed over to the ladder, but the moment I grabbed for the rope, my arm grazed the side of the ship. Ouch! Without Leo, I couldn't do anything; the sides of the ship were searing, not flaming, but incredibly hot metal, how Leo had made it so the metal didn't just melt, I had no idea. Damn it! I looked over the side of the boat. I couldn't see him anywhere- but then again, looking around, I couldn't find anyone- or almost.

I could see Leo on the ground talking to Thalia- she didn't seem too interested or concerned that he was leaving on an incredibly perilous trip. I didn't expect she would.

From beneath the ship, I heard, "Annabeth? Is that you up there?" I looked down. It was Hazel, Gwendolyn, and Bobby. "How'd you get up there?"

"Leo helped me up, otherwise it's impossible, the sides of the ship are too hot to climb," I called down to them.

"There's no other way up?" Hazel asked.

I was about to say _no_ when I heard, "Yeah, there is." I faltered, before flipping my head around. Jason and Piper were standing on the deck behind me.

"Whoa, how'd you get up here?" I asked.

"I flew," Jason said simply.

I put my hand on my chest and took a deep breath. He startled me.

Then Leo returned and managed the fire so the others could climb aboard.

"What did Thalia say?" I wondered, actually very curious.

"She'll miss me," Leo sighed dreamily.

"She said that?"

"Well, she worded it a little differently- more like 'try not to get yourself killed'- but I got the message," Leo insisted.

* * *

Once the new satyr climbed aboard, we set sail. The satyr scurried up the ladder as quickly as he could, which couldn't have been easy considering his hooves. Oakley Colbyn Heatherington- Hedge glanced around at us uneasily, setting his backpack down at his hooves. No one said anything- it was weird how he looked so much like Grover. Instead of bothering with him then, Jason directed the winds while Leo manned the wheel. From camp, we sailed directly out over the water. I watched from the deck as the city slowly grew smaller on the horizon until it had all but disappeared from sight. Once that happened, there was only the water- just water as far as the eye could see. I sighed- _guess it's too late now, Seaweed Brain_…

"Hey, Annabeth!" Hazel called me. "Want to explore the ship a little?"

"Sure, Hazel, I was wondering what was below the deck."

Hazel and I climbed down the narrow hatch and down below the deck. First there was a small room- a little kitchenette. It seemed Leo had stock piled it with canned goods already- unfortunately for us those canned goods consisted of canned corn, chili, and chicken noodle soup. I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to live off of just those choices. In the kitchen, there was a small table and a few stools, a cook-top, a mini-fridge, and a microwave. It seemed livable enough. Hazel and I walked through the kitchen without much of a second thought. The next room was slightly larger- the storage room, I assumed. There were crates just about everywhere, a complete mess. It was hard to believe that Leo had just built this ship- I would have thought clutter and disorganization like this would have taken a few months to achieve. The last room was a tight, curving room located at the bow of the ship- the bunk room. It was a stuffy room; the only opening for any source of fresh air was the exit-hatch that led up to the deck. In the bunk room, the walls were lined with beds, three beds per wall- all stacked on top of each other.

Hazel dropped her belongings onto one of the bottom bunks. "Charming, don't you think?"

"A little tight, don't you think?" I asked her. I sat down on the bed next to her almost feeling claustrophobic.

"A little, but it's not like we're actually ever going to spend time down here anyway," Hazel added.

I shrugged, somehow Leo had managed to fit nine beds into this little room, that in itself was a success.

Then, suddenly, the entire ship shook. I lost my balance falling to my knees and Hazel fell back further into one of the bunk beds. "_Whoa_. What was that?" I panicked.

"Turbulence?" Hazel suggested, picking herself up. I rushed up the exit hatch to investigate. On the deck, I saw Piper and Bobby hurry across the deck. Gwendolyn quickly followed. Bobby raised his bow and fired an arrow over the side of the deck. Piper and Gwendolyn followed his lead.

"Jason!" Leo shouted, "Increase the wind- we've got to move!"

"What's happening?" I called out looking for an answer; when none came, I went to figure it out for myself. I ran to the side of the boat where Piper and Bobby were shooting off arrows from and looked over the side. The ship had to be thirty feet from the water. I watched the water for a moment. Bobby and Piper were firing into the swells. Then suddenly, it emerged. Some enormous monster reared its head out of the water and growled. The monster looked like some ugly cross between a whale and a lizard. It seemed to have scales and blubber all at the same time. "What is it?"

"Cetus," Bobby muttered. He looked over his shoulder to Jason standing in the middle of the deck directing the wind, "Jason! I thought we killed this thing!"

"Better kill it again, then," Jason advised. Bobby and Piper sent down a small shower of arrows, but that didn't seem to do much to Cetus. Suddenly Cetus dove deep into the water. I grabbed a bow and quiver for myself to help the efforts.

I slowly leaned against the ship's railing, watching the water, expecting Cetus to come to the surface at any moment. I noticed that Bobby, Piper, and Gwendolyn had all backed away from the edge; I thought to do the same but by then it was too late. Cetus breached the way a whale might, soaring completely out of the water. In that split second, I noticed how large Cetus actually was- who's to say the Blue whale's the biggest creature in the sea? Cetus's head reached above the Argo II's railings. And then- what goes up, must come down- Cetus fell crashing against the floating ship, nearly capsizing it. My body crashed against the railings.

Jason was trying to get the winds to balance out the ship again- trying- when I slipped, falling overboard. I screamed falling through the air- in my head I was already calculating whether I could survive the fall. Thirty foot fall plus water- I couldn't think, there was no time.

* * *

**_I thought this was a fun chapter- especially since I'm not entirely sure what happens next. Hope you enjoyed it! Please write a review! Reviews are so helpful! I loved the ideas that were sent in for this chapter, most of them were incorporated in, if you've got anymore ideas, I'd love to hear them as usual. As for reviews, any praise or criticism is welcomed! Gratias Ago!_**


	31. Falling

Falling, time seemed to stop. Looking back, I can't remember whether I was screaming or not, I was falling fast, and could only see the shadow of the ship and the faded orange sky. I swore I saw something fall from the boat- perhaps it was just my imagination.

I hit the water, which from this height, felt about the same as hitting cement. The water swallowed me up. I thrashed, struggling to make my way up to the surface. I gasped for air. I fought to stay afloat against the swells. Of course, then I remembered Cetus, lurking somewhere beneath the surface.

From the ship, over the sounds of the crashing waves, I heard, "No, stop him!" I could see faint shadows dart across the deck. The salt water was burning my eyes. I could hear, probably Hazel shouting, "Bobby! You can't swim!"

That wasn't enough to stop him. He dove off of the side of the ship and plunged into the water not too far from me. Before I could see him reach the surface, I felt a tug around my ankles. I kicked, but whatever it was, it really had a hold on me.

Oh, shoot… Cetus!

All the sudden, I was pulled under, submerging deeper and deeper into the dark, cold Atlantic. I reached around, grabbed my Celestial Bronze knife, and stabbed whatever I could. I was sucked deeper and deeper. Even with my eyes shut, I could sense the light from the surface growing fainter and fainter. My lungs burned- I didn't know how much longer I could hold my breath. The blade of my knife caught something. I held my knife tightly, white-knuckling it. From underwater, I heard the beast cry out. It released me. For a moment, I struggled in the water, blind and breathless. Whatever adrenaline I'd had to fight Cetus had left me the moment Cetus released me. My head was ringing. I could feel everything slipping away.

I opened my eyes. I couldn't tell whether it was the salt water or me, slowly losing consciousness, but everything blurred, becoming nothing more than shadows and highlights. Something invoked a vague sense of familiarity- what it looked like, I don't even remember, but it made me wonder:

_Percy?_

* * *

I coughed up a ton of water on the deck.

"Eww!" Reyna hissed. _Reyna?_ What was she doing here? Sure enough, I heard her long before I saw her. My eyes were stinging from the salt water.

"Oh, she's alive," I'm pretty sure it was Gwendolyn who said that.

I gagged, pulling a piece of seaweed out of my mouth. "What happened?" I asked not quite knowing who was there. I kept rubbing my eyes with one hand trying to get them to adjust. Clenched tightly in my other hand was my Celestial Bronze knife, I could recognize it blindly just by the way it fit into my grip.

"Annabeth, you killed Cetus!" Hazel exclaimed.

I sat up, "Really?" I looked around- there was Reyna, Hazel, Piper, and Gwendolyn.

"Sis, would I lie?" Hazel asked me. I wondered. I knew I'd stabbed the monster- thinking back, I suppose I just may have killed it. I couldn't see what I had been doing at the time, so how do I know I didn't? I ran to the side of the ship peering over the railing. Surely enough, there was Cetus floating on the waves with its belly sliced, undoubtedly the work of my own dagger.

"Reyna? How did you get here?" I asked.

"Simple- I stowed away of course, and we probably would have stayed hidden longer if Percy hadn't felt the need to run to the rescue. He kept saying how the sea didn't feel right."

"Percy rescued me?" _I was right!_ Always good to know that I wasn't hallucinating.

"Sort of, he's the one who fished you out of the water, we all thought you were dead," Hazel explained.

"Wishful thinking," Gwendolyn muttered. I don't think she meant for me to hear that.

"Where is he?" I wondered. They didn't need to answer. There was THUD on the other side of the deck. I looked over and gasped. "Bobby!" Percy had dropped him onto the deck; Bobby had fallen on his side and wasn't moving. He was soaking wet- drops of water pooled on the deck around him. I fell to my knees and shook him, trying to get him to wake. It wasn't working. Percy climbed up over the side of the ship, stepping onto the deck. Percy leaned towards Bobby and struck him in the back. Bobby yelped, spitting out water across the deck. He panicked, gasping, and trying to sit up. "Bobby! Oh, gods! What happened to you?" I hugged him, waiting for him to answer.

Before he could, another voice butted in, "_Lover boy_, here, forgot he didn't know how to swim. But I see you've handled yourself quite well, princess!'

"Dakota? You're here too?" I didn't even have to turn around to recognize him.

"'Course I came, you didn't think I'd sit back at Camp Half-Blood and let Jason and Bobby and Hazel go off on a quest without me, did ya?" Dakota asked.

Bobby coughed some more then said, "I had to do something, I couldn't just let Annabeth plunge to her death!"

I smiled, "Well, I'm just fine now, thanks to Percy… Percy- wait, Percy how did you even get on this ship?"

Percy sat down on the deck floor, exhausted. "It's a long story."

"You'd better start talking now then," I teased.

"Okay then, first of all- don't blame me for being here. I know I seem like the obvious culprit, but you've got to believe me- I'm not," Percy began.

"Let's hear it then," I prodded.

"Alright. So, I guess this starts back at the assembly out in front of the Big House where Chiron was introducing Grover's nephew-"

"Oakley Hedge!" the satyr interrupted.

"Yeah, sure- Oakley Hedge. I was just minding my own business. I'll admit I was a little bummed out I wasn't invited to go on this quest, but I wasn't going to do anything about it- heck! I was thinking of visiting Tyson, but now that's not happening. Anyway, I suddenly got grabbed from behind, before I knew it, my hands were all tied up and I was being pushed through the crowd. The weird thing was, was that I swear I saw Chiron wink at me as he watched me go. I was led to the ship- _this_ ship- and then my kidnappers, hardly kidnappers- it was just Dakota and Reyna- gave me a bucket of water and told me to put out the fire on part of the ship so we could climb aboard. So I put out the fire- they were dragging me up when we were spotted by Nico and Ari. Nico could tell what we were doing and had climbed up on the ship before I could even wrap my mind around what was going on. Then we saw you coming- Leo was on the deck, but hadn't seen us, so we hid while we could going below deck. The five of us found a comfy little space in the storage room and didn't move from there since," Percy explained. "I didn't intend to end up here- perhaps its fate! Chiron approved."

I grinned, "Gods only know, it probably is fate. You were around to save me and Bobby. I'd say that's more than coincidence."

"I call it luck- at least now I'm not stuck sitting between Reyna and Dakota," Percy joked.

"Hey, watch it, Jackson!" Dakota argued. "I'm plenty good company."

"Sure, sure, Dakota," Percy defended himself. He turned to everyone else pleading, "Please, don't be mad!"

Jason came to make the verdict."Mad? Percy- I've got a broken arm and you managed to rescue both Bobby and Annabeth- there's no way I ever could have done that. I don't know what we would have done without you."

Hazel scratched her head, "That's really nice and everything… but there's twelve of us now- the prophesy calls for _seven_."

"If they weren't supposed to be here, they wouldn't be here, we never know what the prophesy means until after everything has come to pass," I told her.

"Does that mean someone's going to die?" Dakota panicked. "I don't want to die!"

I shrugged. "I don't know what it means- guess we'll have to find out."

Dakota shrieked, "I don't want to die!"

* * *

**_Sorry it's short, hope you like it. Answering questions: no, this is not a Lukabeth story- fans, don't worry. As always, I loved all of your ideas- I used a lot of them- any more thoughts, please tell me! Also, please write a review, reviews are so helpful- tell me what you like, tell me what you don't- I may make adjustments if needed. Gratias ago!_**


	32. The Reveal

It would be a few more days before we got to Greece, and no one had died yet despite Dakota's concerns. Oakley once fell down the stairs and banged his head against the floor- he didn't die though and I'm pretty sure Dakota felt the slightest bit disappointed.

"You wouldn't have hit your head so hard if you'd had your horns," I hinted. For the most part Oakley hadn't been doing much to help us- I felt like he needed a reminder of why he was here.

Oakley grumbled, "I wouldn't 'ave fallen if these stairs had been more 'ccomodatin' for my hooves!" He may have looked like Grover but he didn't act like him. Oakley was slightly spoiled- it seemed he was used to getting whatever he wanted when he wanted it. Things didn't work that way for the new Argonauts, he'd learn that quickly enough.

In the little kitchen, I found Jason and Percy sitting around the table on stools. Jason was peeling off the layers of his soft cast, while next to him, Percy stared intently at three cans. "Whatcha doing?" I asked.

"It's a tough choice, don't you think?" Percy asked Jason before acknowledging me.

"A painful choice- it's a lose-lose situation either way," Jason answered.

"What's the choice?" I reiterated.

"Corn, chili, or chicken noodle?" Percy asked me. I winced. None of these sounded that good after a week of having nothing else for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Percy saw me wince, "I thought so." Then of course, Leo strolls in snacking on a Hersey bar. Our eyes all followed the chocolate unwillingly.

"Leo?" Jason stopped him. "Where'd you get that?"

Leo nonchalantly shoved the last of it into his mouth before saying, "From my tool belt, why?" Percy and I jumped. The thought of perishable, can-free sugars made our mouths water. "I- I could get you some…" Leo stuttered, a little worried; the three of us, even Jason had shifted closer to Leo. Leo quickly flipped open one of the pockets in his tool belt and pulled out three more candy bars. "Here" He rushed out of the room after that, probably worried we'd ask for more- a magic tool belt? That could be useful.

"I vote Leo cooks for us for now," Jason muttered.

"Agreed," Percy grinned.

"Does Leo know this?" I wondered.

"Hmm… probably, that could be part of the reason he was so quick to leave," Jason thought.

"I'm just glad I didn't have to choose canned corn again," Percy commented.

"Hey! Some of us actually like the canned corn," Oakley grumbled.

"Oakley, you like the _can_ part of canned corn, if you had to eat just the corn part of it you'd be thinking differently," Percy said to the satyr. Percy got along with Oakley- but then again, Percy got along with almost everybody. His comment on the canned corn even got a few good-natured "baa-ah-ahs" out of Oakley.

Oakley shrugged and grabbed the canned corn off the table_- a snack for later_? He climbed clumsily up the stairs to the main deck after that, very careful not to fall again.

I changed the subject, "How's your arm, Jason?"

Jason had unwrapped it. He raised it up so I could see. The length of his arm from his wrist to his elbow was a groggy yellow- a healing bruise. "Doesn't look like it will be much of a battle scar," I sighed for him.

"Battle? I hardly did anything to even break my arm in the first place- if you want to talk about battle scars, that's another thing," Jason told me.

"What about that scar on your lip?" Percy wondered.

Jason giggled to himself, "That's not a battle scar either- Thalia told me when I was little, I tried to eat a stapler- that is what that scar is from."

"I've got a battle scar too," I remembered. I lifted up the bottom of my shirt just a little so they could see it. "I got stabbed by a former camper during the war against Cronus."

Percy looked at me curiously, "You were stabbed by Ethan Nakamura, right?"

I nodded. I rested my chin on his shoulder, "Do you remember the rest of that?" I searched for a little more.

Percy thought for a moment and had begun playing with one of the curls in my hair. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jason overt his eyes, feeling suddenly very out-of-place and awkward. "You took a knife for me?" He asked fondly.

My cheeks burned, not really embarrassed but excited, "It's not as though there were that many options- he was going to kill you!"

"It's probably true then, that without you, I'd be dead several times over again," Percy told me.

I thought about it, "You know, you're probably right, but I guess the same goes for me." Dead several times over again. I could tell Jason was just inching away now, moving towards the door. Percy kissed me on the cheek. "What was that for?" I asked just to see what he'd say.

Percy smiled and told me, "You reminded me of a few things-"

"Like what?" I wondered

"Like… I don't just love you… but I actually _need_ you," he was picking his words carefully, "The truth is, I'd be dead without you, and apparently, you think you'd be dead without me too." _Aww… _It was an awkward way of putting it, but I appreciated it- it was heartfelt and from Seaweed Brain.

Then Ari burst into the room, "Annabeth! I need to talk to you- now!" A week ago, I would have come running immediately assuming it was important, now… not so much. I rolled my eyes and let go of Percy. I went off into the other room- the storage room- anyway to see what she needed. Now, she considered me her "B-F-F" so I had to listen. I felt obligated to. Usually when she needed to talk to me it was about trivial things like: "Can you help me put on makeup?" or "Do you think Nico is going to look like his father when he gets older? 'Cause…" she shuttered, "that's just creepy…"

The time she borrowed my makeup she ended up looking like a raccoon- going way too heavy on the eye-liner. Poor girl, I don't even think Nico really noticed. She was always up to odd things anyway. As for the question of whether Nico will eventually look like Hades- I told her not to worry. That was a frightening thought. Fortunately, I don't think demigods ever really look like their godly parent. This time though was different.

I stepped into the storage room- part of it had been turned in to a bed room to accommodate for the stowaways. "Annabeth, follow me," Ari whispered.

"What? Where?" I worried.

"Shhh…" Ari hissed. "I've got to look out for my friends." Ari led me up to the door leading into the bunk room. She pressed her ear up against the door and motioned for me to do the same. I listened. On the other side of the door, I heard sniffling, crying- muted sobbing. My hand went towards the door knob- Ari pushed it away. "Just listen," she whispered.

Then I heard Hazel, "Oh, it's okay- it isn't the end of the world…" followed by more sniffles. "Reyna's going through the same thing- and look at her."

The sobbing voice combated, "Reyna? Don't compare me to her. She's in denial!"

"Don't think like that, Gwen, things will get better! I know it hurts now, but there will be others," Hazel comforted.

"Don't even start with that 'other fish in the sea' trash," Gwen sniffed. There was a pause before Gwendolyn lamented, "it's just that we were so close and then _she_ came along, now nothing!"

"Gwen, please, don't blame _her or him_- it's not their faults. Blame Calliope if anyone, she's the one who shot the arrow," Hazel tried comforting Gwendolyn.

_ Calliope… the arrow? _ I could put the pieces together in my head. Bobby wasn't lying when he said he hadn't been shot… This could explain a lot- why Percy suddenly gave Gwendolyn the cold shoulder- normally, he'd never do that- he was a painfully good guy. And even his behavior was hinting towards that he had been shot. I didn't want to believe it. Percy said he loved me- that had to be real, right?

The door swung open, Ari and I had had our ears pressed against it and fell forward. Hazel glared down at us, "you were spying? I could expect that from an ex-hunter, but you too, Annabeth?"

"Watch it, Hazel. How come you never told me that it was Percy who got hit by Callie's arrow and not Bobby?" I growled.

"Your smart, Annabeth, I can't believe you're only figuring this out now!" Hazel scoffed.

"But, Hazel, what does this mean? Does Percy actually care about me at all?" I asked. Gwendolyn was listening behind her. I could already tell Hazel didn't want to answer.

Hazel considered her answer for a moment, "Well, he originally didn't want to come on this quest…"

"What do you mean?" I grumbled.

"Figure it out for yourself; I can't believe you did this! Go on and redeem yourself and prove that we actually could be sisters," Hazel snapped, leading her way out.

Ari and I stepped into the bunk room. I sat down on my bunk and sighed- trying my best to make sense out of everything that had happened.

"I think Percy still loves you," Ari told me, trying to help.

"Thanks, Ari," I replied.

"And if worst comes to worst, I'll still be your friend," Ari reminded.

I gave her a weak smile. _Thanks, Ari_, I thought, it's a real comfort to know that even if no one actually cares about me- I've at least got this annoying little girl on my side.

"What about Bobby?" She wondered aloud. "If he wasn't shot with Calliope's arrows then-"

"That's probably what Aurora was referring to when she said he was anything if not persistent," I muttered. For then, I decided I would just have to keep an eye on whatever Percy was doing, if it was true, then perhaps Percy actually caring about me numbed out the effects of the arrows- could that happen? I hoped. Hazel did say that Percy originally wasn't coming on this quest until he got dragged into it- that wasn't consistent with the arrow's effects I didn't think…

"Thanks again, Ari- I needed to hear that," I told her.

"Well, what are friends for?" she answered. I guess she really was my friend then.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading! I've been playing with some ideas- this one I think works out well in the long run. There are some requests I intend on including in the coming chapters and of course- there are more monsters to come! As always, new ideas are welcomed. Also, write a review amabo te (please!), a special thanks goes out to everyone who has reviewed in the past. Both the criticism and praise has been incredibly helpful- especially when you are specific. Anyway, Gratias Ago!_**


	33. Hazel

**A Glimpse from Hazel's Viewpoint:**

I thought I'd done pretty well to stay out of the drama- guess I didn't do well enough. I found Gwen crying her eyes out in the bunk room- and since she is one of my best friends, I had to help her out. When she noticed me, she tried to dry her eyes and pretend it was nothing as though she was too tough for tears. She isn't. No one is. I already knew why she was crying.

Gwen had thought she would be just fine, especially with this quest- it was a good way to forget about Percy. I never really knew what relationship they had. Whenever I did see anything, it was usually pretty subtle- a passing glances or an occasional smile- Gwen mostly kept things like that to herself. She was devastated after Annabeth arrived at Legion Camp. She had barely held it together for the trip over to the Greek Camp. The gods only know how she managed that.

Things were getting better for her when she heard about this quest but, I guess it had just been too much for her to see him again- _like that_, climbing up over the side of the ship with Annabeth in his arms. Annabeth had turned a little blue and it was no secret that Gwendolyn was hoping she was dead. That may have been a little cruel but Gwen did have her dark side. That Percy set Annabeth down on the deck so cautiously got Gwen seething and then even worse- she sat by and watched Percy attempt CPR trying to get the girl breathing again. Watching mouth-to-mouth was just killing her. Annabeth started coughing up water and Percy dove over board for his next rescue. Poor Gwen.

"Don't get yourself worked up over him, Gwen- no boy's worth that," I tried to comfort her. Gwen exhaled slowly, dropping her defenses- she let the tears come, knowing I'd understand. "Oh, it's okay – it isn't the end of the world," I comforted. "You have to move on- Reyna's going through the same thing and look at her."

Gwen looked over at me, her blonde hair was clinging to her tear-stained face. "You can't compare me to Reyna, Hazel. Don't compare me to her," she sniffled. "She's in denial."

"Oh, Gwen," I sighed, hugging her- she needed a hug. "Things will get better; I know it hurts now but there will be others."

Gwen didn't want to hear that, "Don't even start with that 'other fish in the sea' trash," Gwen sniffed. She took a moment sobbing into her hands, before looking to me and saying, "it's just that we were so close and then _she_ came along, now nothing!" Oooh, serious hostility towards Annabeth. I had to tell her the truth about Annabeth and Percy- it wasn't right for her not to know.

"Gwen, please, don't blame _her or him_- it's not their faults," Gwen glared up at me- she didn't think she wanted to hear this, but listened anyway, "Blame Calliope if anyone, she's the one who shot the arrow."  
"The arrow? She shot Percy?" Gwen's jaw dropped. "So…"

I stopped her there, "No, Gwen, don't! Just let him be. Calliope's ruined him- you know that." Gwen groaned. She knew that. "There will always be others," I told her. Gwen stopped crying and dried her cheeks. "Let's go up on deck, you could probably use some fresh air."

Gwen agreed. I was just glad I could help.

I swung open the door and of course that just opened up a whole 'nother can of worms. Annabeth and Ari were on the other side with their ears to the door. _Damn it, Annabeth! _ I almost had this all fixed up!

"You were spying? I could expect that from an ex-hunter, but you too, Annabeth?" I groaned.

"Watch it, Hazel. How come you never told me that it was Percy who got hit by Callie's arrow and not Bobby?" Annabeth snapped.

"You're smart, Annabeth, so why are you only figuring this out now?" I asked her. I couldn't believe it. My stupid sister had been too distracted to actually use her brain and think for herself- she made me spell everything out for her! I would think any of my siblings would have been able to put the pieces together, but I guess not.

"But, Hazel, what does this mean? Does Percy actually care about me at all?" Annabeth whined. Gwen was right behind me- whatever I said could potentially undue everything I'd said to calm her down and convince her she doesn't need Percy. I thought carefully on my words, trying to find something she would understand that Gwen probably wouldn't. Then I got it, "Well, he originally didn't want to come on this quest…"

"What?" Annabeth wondered- she wanted more information, she didn't need more, she just wanted more. I couldn't give that to her, not then with Gwen breathing down my neck.

"Figure it out for yourself; I can't believe you did this! Go on and redeem yourself and prove that we actually could be sisters," I snapped. It was harsh, but it had to be done. I could go back and apologize later, but it had to be done. I knew Gwen was grinning to herself when we stepped passed Annabeth and Ari, glad to see Annabeth hurting. It was cruel.

Up on deck, Gwen seemed better- glad that Annabeth upset. Annabeth would figure things out eventually. I looked over the rail, down at the water. The water wasn't much of a reference but I liked to think the ship was moving fast. Other than looking at the water, there wasn't really any way to tell how quickly we were moving.

Then, from over the water, I noticed something- a flock of birds? They were flying in some lopsided circle- some white-winged Unidentified Flying Objects. Jason, Piper, and Gwen had stopped to stare at it too. "What is it?" Gwen whispered. Whatever it was it was coming towards us.

I recognized it- Sirens!

I pressed my hands over my ears knowing that it probably wouldn't help, I'd be able to hear their song even through that. "Cover your ears!" I shouted.

* * *

**Back to Annabeth's Story: **

I sat on the bunk next to Ari, trying to figure things out. Hazel may have been a jerk but, she was definitely trying to tell me something- Percy didn't try to come on this quest… I knew what that should mean but felt that I couldn't be entirely sure. From up on deck I thought I heard Hazel shouting about something –I didn't pay much attention. There was a knock on the door shortly after. Ari rushed up to answer it. She cracked the door ever so slightly, so I couldn't see who it was and hissed, "It's not the best time! Just go!" Even if I didn't see who it was, I had a pretty good idea.

A hand slipped in to stop the door from closings, "Wait, I need drachmas! I can pay you back- it's not for me, just hurry."

"Percy? What is it?" I stood up and went to the door.

"I need a drachma- there's sirens are coming- Hazel came up with a plan but it needs a drachma," Percy stuttered out quickly.

"Sirens?" I worried. Last time Percy and I came across sirens, I didn't fare so well. "Ari, quick, you've got drachmas- hand them over." Ari gave me a look like _I don't know what you're talking about._ "Ari, I was there when you stole them back from Nico."

Ari rolled her eyes before digging one hand into her pocket and pulling out one shiny drachma.

"Great," Percy grabbed it, "Thanks." He rushed out, climbing up onto the deck.

I followed. Up on deck, I saw Oakley playing with a piece of glass trying to get a rainbow out of it. "We haven't got time for an Iris message," Jason argued.

"Well, I have to talk to Uncle Grover," Oakley growled. He grabbed the drachma and tossed it into the rainbow. The connection was opened within a few minutes.

Then, I heard music. My concerns faded. The ship stopped looking like a ship- it was a field. _Had it always been a field?_ I couldn't remember. There were steaks in the ground here and there- plans for buildings that _I _had designed. My mother was there- Athena, my real mother. She had her helmet tucked beneath one arm and was smiling at me. She told me she was proud of me, that I had managed to save Olympus yet again, and that I was a hero- that my name will always be remembered, placed alongside Theseus, Achilles, and all the other heroes. Percy and Luke were there too of course, offering a word or two of congratulation. Why do good things have to come to an end?

My dream was suddenly shattered by some wretched cacophony. I suddenly realized where I was- I was back on the Argo II with one foot already over the side of the ship. The sirens hissed, trying to sing louder- but there was that noise again- what was it? I searched for the source.

I heard the voice of Grover shouting, "No! No! Stop spitting into it!" Oakley tried again, playing with his panpipes, each note was slightly worse than the last.

"Good timing to suddenly decide on taking music lessons," I muttered. The music from Oakley's panpipes- if you could call it music at all- blocked out enough of the Siren's singing to knock everyone from their trances. Every time I felt myself slipping back, there was always another painfully tone-deaf note to bring me from it. Jason picked up the wind speed to get us away as quickly as possible.

"What the Hades was that?" Ari worried once we were far enough away that we could no longer hear the Sirens.

"The singing angels of death? Those were Siren," Percy explained. "Annabeth and I came across them a couple years ago."

"Angels of death? What did they do?" She asked.

"Dumb question, Ari- you _were_ up on deck just a moment ago, weren't you?" Dakota looked at her skeptically.

"Yeah- I spaced out," she muttered.

"That is what they do- you think you're walkin' towards somethin' great- the best possible thing you could ever think of, but really your walking off the edge of the ship," Dakota told her.

"Really?"

"Well, that didn't happen this time- thanks to _Mozart_ here," Percy told her, referring to Oakley.

"That can't be right…" Ari muttered.

"Why? What did you see?" Dakota asked her.

"Nothing... it was nothing..." Ari rushed off down beneath the deck.

* * *

**_I know this was different. Hope you liked it- there's more to come. I loved the suggestions- even used quite a few. As always, please write a review! Gratias Ago!_**

**_Just a note- GPablo99- I loved the idea, tried my best, but at this point Olympus is closed and Athena probably could care less about Annabeth's social life, because she's got bigger troubles. However, this doesn't mean that I won't still include some of your suggestions in later chapters. _**


	34. The Siren's Songs

"Why? What did you see?" Dakota asked her.

"Nothing... it was nothing..." Ari rushed off down beneath the deck.

"Ari?" I called after her, racing down the stairs. I followed her down into the storage room. She collapsed against the wall and slid down to her heels. She pulled at her silky black hair with her fists in frustration. "What did you hear?"

Ari bit her lip, "Since it's obviously not real, why bother?"

I knelt down next to Ari, on the floor. "I admit- it's not easy waking up from that- finding out nothing of what you saw is real-" I began saying.

"Not easy?" Dakota emerged from the doorway. He and Percy must have followed us down. "It's freakin' hard! You go from seeing things as they should be to seeing things the way they actually are- not easy- yeah, right. It's downright devastating." Dakota flopped down on the floor, joining us.

"You need to tell us something, Dakota?" Percy wondered.

Dakota shrugged defensively a little panicked. "No."

"You sure?" Percy asked again. He looked around at our little circle and said, "Since everyone else is so afraid of sharing- I'll start."

"Why? You're not scared?" I wondered with a little bit of awe- the first time I'd heard the Sirens song, it nearly killed me. The second time around was definitely easier. How was it that Percy had it so easy?

Percy smiled. "I'm terrified," he teased.

"Enough already- what did you hear?" Dakota pushed on.

"The Sirens were singing about the war with Gaea- _we'd win_, of course. I saw my mom- she was baking blue cupcakes." Percy's eyes gleamed- it was a sensitive subject. "Then, I saw you, Annabeth, were there, too. And according to the Sirens, I had never gone to the Roman Legion Camp- had never lost my memories."

"Thanks a lot, Percy," Dakota snapped sarcastically.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the Romans and everything, Dakota, it's just things would be a whole lot easier without you," Percy told him.

"But you don't seem all that torn up over finding out none of that was real-"

"Some of things I saw I can bet are true," Percy said confidently.

"You're that sure of yourself?" I grinned.

"Hmm… No- _never_, I should say. I don't have, um… what's that word? Hummus? No,_ hubris!_ That's it. But I think I know you pretty well- you're pretty real," Percy answered.

"Well, let's hope so," I smiled, "you've been my best friend for only like- the last five years, I'd hate to suddenly hear now that I wasn't real," I laughed and reached over for Percy's hand. Ari and Dakota quickly averted their eyes- maybe it was time to hear another experience then. "Percy told what he heard- you up for it now, Dakota?" Dakota didn't say anything right away. "I know you wouldn't be here if you didn't want to."

He gave me a look like, _if you put it that way…_ "I saw my dad- Mars, and my mom, and my sister." His eyes widened. "They were getting along, happy. That never happens. _Never_," he stressed. "Someone always picks a fight or starts some sort of argument- but it wasn't like that. Like I said, things were as they shoulda been- my dad actually caring about me- my mom being around- my sister being mortal and not a hunter. And then Gwen-" he stopped quickly, saying something he didn't want to.

"Gwen? As in the wicked witch Gwendolyn?" Ari laughed.

"No," Dakota said quickly trying to deny it.

"You did," Ari snorted.

"Let's just move on- Ari, it's your turn to share," Dakota changed the subject.

"Like I'm really going to tell you," Ari smirked.

"I told you what I saw- it's only fair," Dakota argued.

Ari rolled her eyes. "What do you want to hear? That I wish I could be a hunter? That I have no one- no family and too few friends? That I saw myself as a hunter again, that Artemis had forgiven everything, and that Nico actually cared about me. That somehow all of that could still work out," tears streaked down Ari's face. "But then I hear goat-boy, and everything disappears, and none of what I saw was true."

There was a long pause before anyone spoke. "You get it then… downright devastating," Dakota sighed.

Ari nodded wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Just one question," Percy spoke up, "Gwendolyn?" He asked Dakota.

Dakota scowled, "What's it to you?"

"Just curious," Percy answered. I gave Percy a suspicious glare. "No, it's just- I don't know, I don't see it."

"What don't you see? A pretty girl who can fight and a wicked awesome son of Mars- open your eyes!" Dakota combated. His argument didn't stand very well. The truth was I was glad Dakota was saying this all- conveniently in front of Percy. I smiled and laughed a little.

* * *

That evening, Leo announced that we had crossed over the ancient Pillars of Hercules- which meant from now on we were flying over the Mediterranean! _Yay!_ Almost there. That was the same evening that Jason, Percy, and I actually convinced Leo to cook dinner. With the help of his magic tool belt, we got hot dogs for dinner. Oakley still stuck with his canned corn for now, slightly frightened that we called out food 'dogs' and for the most part had little idea what was actually in it.

"I just want to make sure I'm not eating family," Oakley explained.

"Fair enough," Leo shrugged. Leo had also prepared some vegan option just in case, but that wasn't as successful.

I found Bobby standing on the deck after dinner. He was watching the sun dark sunset off on his own. "I always wondered what it might be like to drive my dad's chariot- the one that pulls the sun," he muttered. Hazel was listening from not too far away. She had a compass out and was working on navigating while she could still see where she was navigating- it was getting dark fast.

"Didn't your half-brother try that once?" I thought.

"Phaethon, yeah, he did- he crashed it- totally blew the chances for any of his siblings to ever try it," Bobby sighed.

"Learn from his mistakes- perhaps flying the sun around is actually dangerous," I told him. "Also, I- I wanted to apologize to you, for not trusting your sincerity when you told me that you loved me. I just heard that it really wasn't you who got shot by Callie's arrow."

"Everyone makes mistakes, don't beat yourself up over this one," Bobby grinned, leaning one elbow against the rail of the ship.

"So, what did you hear from the Sirens?" I asked him- everyone's been asking that all day today.

"Do you really want to know?" He asked me. "What did you hear?"

"I guess the same goes for me, too then," I replied. He put an arm over my shoulder and we watched the sun set in silence. Some things were better left unsaid.

* * *

That evening, Percy and I were sitting around with Ari and Leo playing with a pack of cards.

All the sudden, we heard a voice. "Annabeth! Percy!" An iris message.

"Thalia!" I recognized.

"Thalia!" Leo gasped, "How are you?"

Thalia ignored him, "Annabeth!" She cried. "Something's happened! Luke is missing!"

"What?"

The iris message flickered. "He's not here at Camp Half-Blood! I've heard rumors around camp about treachery- please say it's not true," Thalia whined.

"Thalia- I don't know, this is the first we've heard anything. It can't be true. Luke was back- he wanted the three of us to be the family we used to be. He wouldn't have," I worried even though I knew it couldn't be true. Luke was not a traitor anymore- he came back and he cared about me and Thalia- he'd never do something like that.

Thalia answered with, "How do you know that's true? He said that- he always said that. Even way back when, he sided with Cronus- caring about us had nothing to do with it."

"That's not true," I cried refusing to believe what she was saying.

"Believe what you want, I'll keep you updated," with that the Iris message disappeared.

"Bye, Thalia!" Leo said slightly dazed.

* * *

_**I apologize for the wait- hope you like it. Write a review, amabo te. There's more to come. Gratias ago!**_

_**Also- any thoughts on deaths of major characters? Don't worry, it's not as though I intend to kill off Percy or anything.**_


	35. An Arrival in Greece

Once I tried talking to Percy about Cupid's arrows and that whole fiasco. We were sitting in the bunk room up on the top bunk letting our legs dangle down off the side of the bed- I admit it was an unusual place, but then again once you've spent enough time stuck in the same place- this ship- you find yourself looking for odd places and perspectives just so it seems new. For instance, that day, Percy and I had tried out just about every bunk in the room before deciding we liked that one best. "You think I was shot?" Percy asked me letting his head fall back against the mattress. I nodded my head, wishing it wasn't so. Percy shrugged it off, "I probably was- it's not like it matters."

"Like it matters? Of course it matters- that means you could have fallen in love with just about anyone!" I whined.

"Yeah, Wise Girl, I don't think those arrows work very well," Percy responded.

"Why's that?"

Percy sat up and leaned in so his nose was only an inch or two from mine, "If they worked I doubt I could tell you that you look absolutely hideous today!" I scrunched my nose at him, and he said, "I'm only kidding." He kissed me quickly. "I still love you- and it's not because of some arrow."

"How do you know that?" I pestered a little worried about his answer.

"I don't know… it's not like I suddenly get the urge to just come in a sweep you off your feet or write you poems and stuff."

"You, writing poems?" I giggled.

"I know- that would be a strange day," he laughed. "And no offense, but it's not like I see you as some _Helen of Troy_ or something- you're just Annabeth, my best friend and awesome girlfriend, Annabeth."

"Aww, thanks, Seaweed Brain." I considered what he said, concluding that the arrows probably did work or the affects wore off or something. Although his words weren't exactly flattering, at least they were genuine.

* * *

We spent the rest of the week flying over the Mediterranean Sea, reaching Greece by the end of the week. We circled around over the Aegean Sea for a day or two trying to decide where we'd have to go.

"Juno said we'd have to go to Greece, go to the ancient battle grounds, and only hope that the gods will help us from there," Jason declared. Hazel was already jotting down a few notes on things we might need. "It's no secret that there will be giants, so we'd better be prepared."

"Where are the ancient battle grounds? Did Juno tell you?" I wondered.

"No, she didn't say," Jason scratched his head trying to remember.

"Would they be referring to the Trojan War? I don't know Greek history that well..." Hazel suggested.

"No, it couldn't be the Trojan War- that was fought in Troy, which it now part of Turkey, not Greece," I pointed out.

"Well if that's not it, what other important battles were there?" Jason searched.

"What about the battle where Greece fell to Rome?" Piper suggested. "Back when we came across Midas, that fact seemed to be pretty important."

"Good thinking, Pipes!" Jason cheered. "Hazel, what battle was that?"

"Ummm… Was it in Athens?" Hazel wondered. "I forget."

"No, it wasn't Athens- it was at Corinth- The battle of Corinth," I corrected. "You should know your history, Hazel."

Hazel stuck her tongue out at me. "I could care less."

"We're going to Corinth then?" Jason asked.

"We're going to Corinth," Hazel concluded. "But we're going to need armor and weapons- for all we know we're walking into a battle."

"Against who?" Percy asked- he had missed a couple things and was still getting filled in.

"Gods only know, giants- definitely, probably also whoever Gaea released from the Doors of Death- we already beat Arachne, Cetus, and Python, I can hardly guess you else we'll find. Plus there's the venti, too," I answered.

"Add Medea and Midas to that list too," Jason mentioned.

"Oh, and also, what's-his-name? Luke, too," Piper thought.

"Luke? You think he'll be there?" I gasped. "He won't he's on our side."

"Annabeth, he just went missing from Camp Half-Blood. And didn't he say that Gaea brought him back- that it's all because of her that he's alive again?" Jason took Piper's side.

"Yeah, but he's not going to turn on me again- I know him," I told them.

"You sure about that, Annabeth?" Percy asked.

"Positive, Seaweed Brain," I said carefully. "Leo! How long's it going to take to get to Corinth?"

"We can get there tonight if we're lucky, is that for sure that we need to go there?" Leo asked.

"For now, definitely," I affirmed."What do we have for armor?"

"Only what you've brought for yourselves," Leo responded.

"What?" Piper panicked.

"Yeah, we don't have armor," Jason replied.

"Better get prayin' then," Hazel snickered. "Maybe Olympus will open up?"

* * *

That night, Leo parked the boat outside Corinth- he left it floating over a little farm outside the city. Me, Hazel, and Bobby figured out a way to shape the Mist well enough to hide the flying, flaming, ship for a while. With Leo's help, we climbed out of the ship, first time in weeks. _Land_! Oh, thank gods. It had been an incredibly long week kooked up on the ship.

Before Leo left the ship, he pulled a bag out from beneath the deck and lugged it down the ladder to the ground. "Before I forget- I made you guys something." He pulled the bag open, "I had some extra time while you guys were away rescuing Percy and Annabeth- hope you like it." Leo pulled out bronze armor- shoulder pads, breastplates, helmets.

"Whoa…" Piper's jaw dropped when Leo handed her a helmet- "Leo this is incredible!"

"It was no trouble, Piper," Leo handed Jason the next suit of armor.

"Thanks, man!" Jason smiled, gladly accepting the gift.

"Like I said, it was no trouble- once I'd made the mold for all this stuff it was easy. Originally, I was only making some new armor for Thalia, but I got a little carried away," Leo explained.

"You actually made something for Thalia?" I wondered.

"I'm not going to lie- that's a little weird, Leo," Jason whispered to him.

"What? Roses seemed like a bad idea- since she's a hunter," Leo responded. Ari burst out laughing, incredibly amused.

Jason, Piper, and Leo strapped on their armor. "That's great for you guys, but what about the rest of us?" I thought. I had nothing. "Never mind- I'll figure it out. I always do."

By the time I'd said just that much, I found out I was too late. An arrow came flying through the air, whooshing past me, hitting Percy in the gut. Percy groaned from the force of the arrow, but fortunately for him- the arrow couldn't pierce his skin. "What was that?" I glanced around searching for its source. We were in the middle of a field – there was an orchard not too far and a stream just passed that, by the looks of it, we were the only ones here. "What the Hades?"

We all gathered closely, searching for the shooter, trying not to have our backs turned in any one direction. Nico panicked, "Did that tree just move?"

"No, stupid, trees don't move," Ari answered.

"I know that, but I swear- it just moved- look! There, there it is again!" Nico shouted. Then another arrow shot just over our heads- it hit the side of the Argo II and disintegrated to ashes in seconds due to the heat of the ship.

"Alright, maybe it did move," Ari muttered.

Even in the dark we could see the shooter now- it was just a kid. Wait… who am I kidding, it is never _just _a kid. The kid had stepped from the orchard.

"Who are you?" Piper shouted from beneath her new helmet. She was the best of us to speak- Piper was _persuasive_. She clutched her dagger, down at her side, trying her best not to pose as a threat. Jason tried to step up by her side, but she shoved him back. Piper could stand up for herself.

The kid was younger than us, but not by too much. He wore muddy jeans and leather armor over his shoulders, arms, and chest. Between his hair and his armor, his appearance reminded me a little of tree bark. He spoke: "_We_ are the Children of the Earth- the demigods you, westerners, never cared about- the sons and daughters of tree nymphs and river gods. Once Gaea wakes up, she won't want you- you 'heroes of Olympus', she'll have _us_, the new heroes for the new age," the kid said proudly. "We were told all of _you_ would come and try and screw things up for us. We came to stop it. _We've come to kill you_."

I feel like I've heard that said one too many times, yet somehow, I'm still in one piece. I gripped my knife, still in its sheath. Suddenly, from behind the kid, shapes began to move in the orchard, out from behind the rows of trees.

"Brace yourselves," Percy muttered to our tiny army.

The 'Children of the Earth' came running, swords drawn and prepared to fight- they had easily outnumbered us. My knife clashed against the first sword it met. It was too dark to distinguish any of the enemies- they all looked about the same, all wearing similar armor. They didn't fight very well as after only a few blocks and a couple tough blows, they fell and another came to take their place. The battle waged on. Arrows flew and swords clashed. From the corner of my eye, I saw Percy use Riptide to knock the sword from an enemies hands. The demigod ran off after, leaving his sword behind. I noticed in the fighting, none of us were fighting to kill- perhaps the 'Children of the Earth' were, but they obviously lacked the same training we had had.

When it seemed that we were pulling through and winning the fight, the enemies fled drawing their lines back behind the stream. We chased after to find that they had reached the stream that ran through the orchard. One of the demigods stood ankle-deep in the water. She was just a little girl. She scowled at us and all the sudden the water rose up around her, gleaming in the light of the moon. She hissed and a tidal wave of spring water rushed at us, knocking me and just about everyone else off our feet. _Was that even possible?_ I wondered. This girl, whoever she was couldn't have been a child of Poseidon. _A river god perhaps?_ What the heck? The children of marginal gods like that weren't supposed to be powerful!

Percy had stayed his ground- the tidal wave didn't have an effect on him. He walked forward coming to the enemy lines. The little girl who sent the tidal wave was now on her knees in the stream, breathing heavily. Moving the water like that had taken quite a toll on her- it must have been a last ditch effort. _That is more like it_. The girl cowered as Percy approached.

"We don't need to fight," Percy reasoned. "So, please, quit while you're behind and just leave us be."

Another boy stepped forward- I couldn't tell if it was the same one from earlier or not. "Why quit now? And who says we're behind?" the boy helped the girl in the stream to her feet while the enemies parted enough to show that they had Ari and Hazel bound and gagged. They both squealed and struggled with their bindings. _Darn it! So close. _

"Let them go!" Nico shouted.

"Why quit now?" the kid repeated. The enemy demigods fled with Hazel and Ari with them. The two girls kicked, trying to force a getaway, but couldn't. The rest of us rushed after them.

"Hey get back here!" Nico argued. But they had disappeared into the shadows of the orchard and were gone quickly after that. We chased after in the direction they fled continuing even after they had disappeared from sight.

As we ran, Percy stumbled, "Whoa!" he toppled to the ground.

"Percy!" I was the first to notice and went to help him to his feet. The others had continued on after. "I didn't think a tree root would lead to your demise," I teased.

Percy blinked, looking down at the dark ground. "I didn't trip on a tree root- look!"

I looked down. _My helmet!_ It was the helmet I'd received at Legion Camp. But that wasn't all that was there. There was armor, Percy's Nemean Lion cloak, and shields – there were also a few items I assumed must have belonged to the Romans, such as a decorated helmet with flowers carved into its sides- Reyna's, I'd assume. The pile of equipment was gathered at the foot of one tree.

"Looks like Olympus has opened up," Percy muttered pointing to the tree.

"What…?" my question stopped there- carved on the tree was a Caduceus.

* * *

"Shoot! We've lost them!" Bobby grumbled.

"No, they couldn't have gotten far-" Reyna responded.

"No time for that-" I said quickly, catching up with them. "Olympus has opened- we have to prepare to fight."

"But they might try to kill Ari!" Nico fought back. Nico obviously took death very seriously- he wasn't about to let her die.

"They won't, not if we fight Gaea and win-" Percy replied.

"But what if we don't win?" Reyna nagged.

"If we don't win, then everyone's doomed anyway," I answered.

"_To storm or fire the world must fall_," Jason recited in agreement. He knew the prophesy.

"Real optimistic, Jason," Piper told him.

"I can't do this…" Nico exhaled. "I'm going after them."

"Hazel's gone- I'd better go to," Gwendolyn spoke up. I was actually a little surprised- I guess she and Hazel _actually were_ friends.

"Oh, and me too!" Dakota said immediately looking to Gwendolyn, probably caring less about what happened to Hazel and Ari and more about staying with Gwendolyn.

"No! You can't!" I argued knowing already they wouldn't listen. Nico shot me one last sarcastic glare as though to say _and you think that will stop me?_ He turned, grabbing hold of Dakota and Gwendolyn and vanished in the shadows of the trees.

* * *

**_Hope you like it, please write a review. Ideas are welcomed. Gratias Ago!_**

**_Also again, I would like to ask opinions on killing off a character. If so, who?_**


	36. Preparation and Captured

**_Warning: this chapter does have violence/blood- as always, nothing too gory. _**

**

* * *

Annabeth's Story:**

"There's seven of us now," I counted. Seven- not including Oakley.

"Like the prophesy- _Seven demigods will answer the call_," Jason recited. "It was supposed to happen this way."

I glanced around at the group of us: it was me, Percy, Jason, Piper, Reyna, Leo, Oakley, and Bobby. Funny how things worked out.

"I doubt we've got much time. We should get our armor on and go to the battlegrounds," I said for encouragement.

Percy had my back and cheered, "Olympus may be open, but the gods can't fight the war themselves!" That got everyone riled up and ready.

**

* * *

Ariadne's Tale: **

I blinked becoming conscious. I shifted my eyes suspiciously but I didn't see anything. _Oh, gods!_ I'm blind! No! _No! _I wailed or I tried to- it's kind of tough with tape over your mouth.

Then, like some magic act, _let there be light_, and someone ripped a blindfold off of me. _Whoa._ Good gods, I'm not blind.

My captor bent down on one knee to look me in the eyes. He wasn't old, fourteen at most- kinda cute now that I can actually admit it, but he didn't seem to be helping me. He ripped the tape covering my mouth. "_Ouch!_ That hurt!" I growled, with my hands bound behind my back the best defense I had was trying to bite him- I tried but missed.

"You _animal!"_ he said, a little appalled. I just gritted my teeth and gave him a nasty glare that meant, _yeah, you had __**better**__ keep your eyes peeled!_

My captors left me- perhaps a little disgusted, but it's not like I was really all that concerned about that. I was alone in some little, dark room. Looking around, it definitely was a room, indoors- or with walls and a ceiling. There was dirt floor though- I could feel the texture of the dirt rubbing into my jeans. Despite the room being pitch black, I could see better than most. That was just one of the oh-so-wonderful perks that comes along with being a daughter of Eos: you can't be a hunter- or so says Artemis- you address all grasshoppers as 'step-dad', and with those big, bug-eyes your mom gave you, you just might be able to see in the dark. _Great gifts, mom_, just super…

Anyway, in the dark, I could make out the faint outline of Hazel scrunched up in a ball, with her hands tied and mouth covered. She just may have still been unconscious or something. Maybe we were drugged- I felt drugged, but then again, I didn't know. I could just be tired. The time change getting here was a killer. On second thought, I was tired- I probably had that zombie-eyes look going. Before all of this happened, Nico said I didn't- but I say that's only 'cause he's seen real zombies and none of that fake TV junk I get to watch.

Back to my point- I knew pretty well I needed to get out of here. They said they would kill me and I didn't want to stick around long enough to find out if they'd keep their word. I felt around as best I could without my hands trying to figure out if I still had my dagger in my pocket – I did. _Stupid, unimportant demigods forgot to disarm me_. I wiggled around trying to maneuver the knife until it slipped out of my pocket. Then I set to work on my bindings. I freed my hands and my feet.

Then I ran to help Hazel- she wasn't budging. She wasn't dead- she had a pulse… I think. But if I untied her, it might be a problem if she's still unconscious – I wasn't going to be able to drag her out of here, so I left her.

I looked around the dark, little room with my dagger drawn and decided, this probably isn't a _room _at all but a cave- probably. The ceiling was high but curved slightly rounding. _A cave. _ It didn't take long to find the mouth of the cave- there was only one way out.

I stepped out cautiously- of course the enemy was just waiting right outside, with their backs turned. There were a few of them all sitting around a small fire. The flame cast an orange glow on their faces.

They hadn't seen me- not yet anyway.

Outside there were four of them- and more in the distance. I could assume there must have been more 'soldiers' in other places, but they weren't here. Here, there were only four- I could handle this, right? I bet I could. The first face I noticed I recognized as the boy who pulled the tape off my mouth- the one who checked to see if I was alive. If this came to a fight- he would be the one I'd have to worry about, simply because he was the biggest of the kids. The one next to him was a girl- the one that was in the river. She had copper-colored hair, that sitting so near the fire, seemed to be giving off a light of its own.

Across from her were two kids much younger than me- only nine or ten at the oldest. The two boys looked alike- might have been twins, definitely were brothers. They wore leather padding and war paint, but they didn't look like soldiers- just little kids playing dress-up who have gotten tired of their games and are just about ready to go to bed. Of course, none of this lasted for long.

I tried to creep out of the mouth of the cave stealthily, hoping I'd go unnoticed- I had no such luck.

"Whoa! How'd she get out?" the girl was the first to notice. The four demigods jumped to their feet. I didn't wait for them- I ran. Running was probably not the best idea, especially since they had no reason to catch me alive.

Something hit my left shoulder- it took me a while to figure out what it was. I collapsed to the ground. It wasn't until then that I actually realized that I was hurt- really hurt- the ground was all wet. Lying in a pool of my own blood- _I think so_.

**

* * *

Annabeth's Story: **

We were preparing for battle in the orchard- or we were supposed to be doing that- up until something else caught my eye. Percy and I were going to see if Jason and Piper were ready to go- on an ideal day, things would have gone smoother, but were things ever ideal?

We caught Jason and Piper with their lips locked, kissing madly, and clinging to each other. We watched for just a moment with a mild disgust, not at all surprised, just wondering why they hadn't kissed sooner.

"We were never like that, right?" I asked Percy.

He shook his head quickly, "definitely not- that's a little gross."

"You read my mind," I turned away- trying to give them some privacy. Behind me was Reyna. Reyna had seen everything- she looked at us blankly. I half expected her to attack Piper that very instant, but she didn't. "Reyna…" I was at a loss for words.

Reyna stepped forward, rested her head against the trunk of a tree and kept her eyes averted. I stepped forward and offered to help. "Don't bother, _nata Minervae_, I knew this would happen," she droned. "Jason and I…Our relationship always was rocky at best. If it hadn't been Piper- I hate to admit it but it probably would have been Calliope or Gwendolyn or Hazel." I could hear Reyna taking slow and deep breaths carefully exhaling trying her best to fight back tears. "I…I just hate having to admit it."

**

* * *

Ariadne's Tale:**

When all the light faded back in, I screamed. The pain was back.

"Shut it, Houdini!" the copper-haired girl snapped at me.

I screamed some more- half out of pain, the other half just to spite her

"Get her to stop squirming," the boy's voice called.

Tears streamed across my face, my shoulder seared with pain. "What. The Hades. Are. You. Doing?" I huffed out painfully.

"You got shot, genius; we've got to get the arrow out," the boy told me.

"If you want me dead- just kill me- don't torture me, I'm not tellin' you nothin'!" I cried out.

"If we wanted you dead, you'd be dead," One of the little nine-year olds said, kicking the ground sending a cloud of dust and dirt up into the air. The cloud of dust descended on my open wound- I cried out in agony.

"_Desiste, __Secunde_," the older boy barked, "Because of you I have to sterilize the injury again!"

"_Nolite__appellare__me__illum__, Maxime!"_ the little boy shouted.

"Now this is going to hurt… a lot…" the older boy told me. He gripped the arrow's shaft and tore it out of me. I shrieked. The arrow was out- the red-haired girl dangled it in front of my face. About half of it was soaked in _my_ blood. I winced.

**

* * *

Annabeth's Story:**

I found a map of Corinth in Hazel's atlas and decided to get to work on figuring out just exactly how we would get to the ancient ruins of Corinth. The moment I flipped it open, I knew I should probably have brought my own map or a magnifying glass or something- there was no possible way I could read this. The map was labeled with tiny little letters- probably incredibly accurate and helpful for regular people but miserable gibberish for all of us dyslexic demigods. How on Gaea could Hazel have ever read this? My atlases were always in Greek- they would have been incredibly helpful about now. In the past reading Hazel's atlas, I've been able to get by with reading the penciled in destination at the bottom of the page- that, plus Hazel or Bobby always had the courtesy of circling where ever they were going. On my own, this was not going to be easy.

Reyna saw me squinting at it and came to help. "Do you need glasses or something?" She wondered.

"No, glasses would make this worse- how did Hazel read this?" I asked her.

Reyna looked at the page- "'cause it's in English, _smart one_!"

"Yeah, but we're dyslexic and this font is impossible to read-"

"What are you talking about? Who's dyslexic?"

"Demigods…?" I asked her. "You're not dyslexic?" Bobby overheard Reyna making fun of me and came quickly. "Bobby! Quick question, are you dyslexic?"

Bobby thought for a moment before shaking his head, "No? Should I be?"

I wondered about this- Chiron had said that all demigods were dyslexic because our brains were hardwired to read Greek- the Romans don't speak Greek, why should they be able to read it. The Romans read Latin- which has just about the same alphabet as English- Oh… _The light bulb went off in my head. _ The lucky Romans can read!

"No, Bobby- dyslexia has been the bane of my existence, I can't read this map- so you read it. We need to get to the ancient ruins of Corinth- I think that's where we're supposed to go," I replied. "You can lead the way."

**

* * *

Ariadne's Tale:**

My captors wrapped up my shoulder and let me sit outside the cave by the fire. Obviously, I wasn't going anywhere. The older boy that the little kids called, "_Maxime__,"_ had taken my dagger when he put my arm in a sling. The three boys were talking in Latin around the fire- or at least I thought it was Latin, I didn't know the language. I noticed that the red-haired girl kept her mouth shut and seemed bored.

"What are they saying?" I ventured to ask her. I didn't think it hurt to ask.

"Like I'd ever tell _you_," she grumbled.

"You don't know what they're saying, either, do you?" I let out a cynical laugh. The girl bit her lip, trying to hide the fact that I'd guessed it. "He he, I knew it. Let me guess- you're a Greek too?"

"Watch yourself- Houdini, the only reason you're not dead is 'cause we've got to use you as leverage- once we catch your little friends all coming to your rescue, you're a goner," the red-haired girl smirked.

"Ha! Good luck with that 'since I don't have _friends_."

* * *

**_I know it was probably very confusing, hope you liked it. Please, write a review! Thanks!_**


	37. The Rescue

**Annabeth's Story:**

The eight of us- me, Percy, Bobby, Reyna, Piper, Jason, Leo, and Oakley- set off across on foot from the orchard heading towards the city. The city was a couple miles at most- a piece of cake by now, I felt as though I'd been walking everywhere these last few months- walking with the Roman Hunters and walking back to Camp Half-Blood for part of the way. Bobby and I led the way- I would have led on my own if I could actually read the atlas, I would occasionally glance at it for a reference but besides that it was a struggle.

Bobby grinned, saying, "I can't believe you can't read."

"Hey! I can read- I'm a daughter of Athena, of course I can read," I replied.

"Sure, sure, yet you still have to have me around to read the map for you," Bobby teased. I stuck my tongue out at him. "It's not my fault that you don't know the alphabet!" he taunted. I gave him a playful punch to the shoulder. "I'm only kidding." Bobby's eyes met mine and he held this light-hearted gaze for a moment or so. Anywhere else or at any other time I could bet he would have tried to kiss me- my smile faded first. Bobby glanced up over his shoulder, back at Percy, trailing not too far behind us. He cleared his throat before looking down at the atlas regretfully- he was learning his boundaries.

* * *

**A Short Narrative from Gwendolyn: **

I stepped out of the deep shadows of the trees and looked out over a dark valley gently lit by the soft glow of the moon. I didn't know where we were- Nico must have known. Where ever we were, there was nothing but fields and trees and tall grasses. If there was a place where the children of nymphs would hide, here was as good as any. I glanced over at Nico and Dakota. Nico was searching frantically looking to pick a fight. Dakota was stupidly scratching his head, probably had no idea what he was doing here- I for one didn't.

At least it was only Nico and Dakota, I couldn't stand to be stuck around Percy and Annabeth anymore- they were making me _sick_. Annabeth was the real problem as it was hard to stay mad at Percy for too long. I won't lie and pretend that every goofy grin and sea-green gaze doesn't totally win me over- it does, and I find myself all the worse off.

After all, I did train Percy for months, teaching him Roman fighting techniques and such. He was one of my best friends- my unofficial boyfriend if anyone asked, that is right up until _Blondie _showed up. Before I'd even met her, I heard that she was already making out with Percy- and that was when he didn't even know her. _She looked familiar_ was what Percy told me- not _sorry, won't happen again_ or _I don't care about her_ or even the most basic _it wasn't my fault._ None of that- just_ she looked familiar_. Then of course, he got his 'memories' back- who's to say Annabeth didn't just make all that stuff up in the first place?

And then, I never really thought that we weren't together, not until the trip to the Greek Camp- Percy told Annabeth that he loved her. He had never said anything like that to me- not ever… Things were a nightmare after that- the two of them always together- it was awful. I didn't break down until last week on the ship. Hazel had to talk me down. At least now, I was alone- no Percy, no Annabeth- though it hurt, it was the beginning of the end.

I followed Dakota down the slope and into the tall grasses. "You ready?" Dakota asked me. He raised his sword.

"Bring it on," I muttered. I snapped my fingers and a small flame appeared over my fingers. Now I could see.

Suddenly, the tall grasses began shake around us- something was coming, but from where? I prepared for the worst- an ambush perhaps- that was as likely as anything else. _Oh, shoot!_ They must have seen the flame and knew where we were. Then, they came breaking through the tall grasses, running, swords ready. It was the other demigods again- "the Children of the Earth"- they had called themselves. We fought them, combating the attack as best we could. When I had the chance, I bolted, fleeing from the scene. Dakota and Nico did the same- there were too many of them.

We darted back out of the valley, hiding behind the trees. It didn't seem like we were being pursued so Nico and Dakota stepped out and sat down on the hill. I was hesitant but joined them. The enemy was still there, down in the valley, watching and waiting. Whether they were waiting for us three specifically was doubtful- they seemed more intent on just about anyone else as though they believed that surely us- just us three- could not have been all who were here to fight.

"What now?" I asked.

"We have to find Ari- keep in mind this is a rescue mission," Nico muttered.

"Ari _and Hazel_," I reminded him, looking out over the valley. In the distance, I could see the faint light of a campfire and the smoke rising from it. "I can bet that they're there." I pointed.

"There?" Dakota asked with a little concern, "I didn't think we'd find them that fast…"

"Let's go, we can sneak into their camp site, grab Ari and Hazel, and leave," Nico planned.

"Like it's really going to be _that _easy," I commented.

"It will be, if we do this right," Nico snapped back. He was just concerned about Ari- I decided.

"Well, let's go with it- see what happens. Prepare for a fight though- there is going to be a fight," I told him, being realistic.

We snuck around, watching their camp from behind the tall grass. There were a few tents and a few kids around the camp fire, all in front of the mouth of a small cave.

"There's Ari," Nico muttered. Sure enough, there she was, sitting on the ground. Her big eyes were stained red and her arm was hanging limply in a sling. She was watching the fire and didn't see us.

"Where's Hazel?" I wondered. She obviously wasn't there.

"How are we going to get Ari?" Nico asked; he could care less about Hazel.

I hardly thought a moment before blurting out, "I can go in, fight them- there aren't very many here, take Ari back and demand that they hand over Hazel."

"No!" Dakota said quickly- "I'll do it, you can't just go in there and fight them on your own."

I gave him a skeptical glare- since when did he care about what I do. "Come if you want, but if you get killed or captured, I sure as Hades ain't coming back for you," I warned.

"_Hey_, princess- watch and learn. _Non filii Martis necantur_," He cooed before bursting through the brush, sword drawn and ready. Nico and I followed quickly after. The attack came as quite a shock to the enemy- one of them even fainted at the sight of us. Lucky for us- at this campsite, there were only four of them. The four of them- all younger kids, raised their hands in surrender.

"What do you want?" the oldest of them asked. "Don't hurt us. We haven't done anything wrong-" I'm pretty sure I was the only one listening to him.

"Nico!" Ari scrambled to her feet and ran to Nico; she threw her one good arm around his neck and stood up on tip-toes to kiss him on the cheek.

"Eww…" Nico winced, but his cheeks turned about four shades redder.

"You came to rescue me!" Ari rejoiced.

"Speaking of rescue-" I butted in, "where's Hazel?"

"This way," Ari told me, rushing over to the cave. I crept inside.

Then behind me, I heard a voice, "Hey, Houdini, what gives? I thought you didn't have any _friends_." It was some little, red-haired girl- one of the enemies.

"Trust me when I say, I'm as shocked as you are," Ari replied before skipping off into the cave. The cave was little more than a dark crevice in the rock. Hazel was on the ground with rope around her ankles and wrists. There was tape over her mouth and a blindfold covering her eyes- I would have barely recognized her. I quickly untied her and pulled the tape off her mouth and the blindfold off her face.

"Hazel?" I shook her trying to get her up.

Hazel blinked at me groggily. She groaned, "Gwen? What happened?"

"You got kidnapped, come on, get up, we've got to go before anybody realizes what we're doing," I told her quickly.

She nodded and pulled herself to her feet, "Let's go," she muttered.

* * *

**Annabeth's Story:**

After several hours of walking, all clad in our armor, we arrived at the ancient city of Corinth- what was left of the city stood in ruins, there was little left of whatever it had once been. "This is it?" Percy asked me.

"Ask Bobby- he's reading the map," I told him.

"Yep, this is it," Bobby replied, "or so says the map."

"You sure?" Percy asked suspiciously, "'cause there's no one here…"

I looked around- I didn't know what I was suspecting. Perhaps a giant or something- wasn't that what we were here for?

But we weren't alone- in the distance I spied a dark figure.

"Who's that?" Percy asked me. I'd been wondering that myself right up until he asked. But I knew this scene too well, my heart leaped.

I didn't even answer Percy, instead I ran. "Luke!" I cheered. I pulled my arms around him.

"Annabeth?" Luke wondered. "What are you doing here? I thought you went out on a quest-"

"Luke? I am on a quest, we made it here to Greece-"

"We're in Greece?" Luke asked, very much surprised.

"Yeah, where did you think we were? How did you even get here that you didn't know that?" I asked.

"I-I don't know. Gaea brought me here- I think. Where are we exactly?"

"Corinth, Greece." I told him.

"Whoa," Luke scratched his head, a little confused.

* * *

_**What do you think? Please write a review. As always, I'm open to ideas. Gratias ago!**_


	38. Iris Message Me

**Annabeth's Story:**

Luke smiled a little stupidly, not entirely sure why he was there and very much out of place. He scratched his head and looked out over the ruins- the ruins were little more that crumbling stones in a vast field. "Ancient Corinth, huh? I'd believe it… What are you doing here again?"

"Something along the lines of a quest and preparing for a battle to end all future battles pertaining to this particular argument- we got all of this out of the Great Prophesy that Rachel babbled out a couple of months ago," I explained to Luke.

"Wait… you got all of this from the Great Prophesy?" He asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Annabeth! How do you know for sure that this is what the prophesy was talking about? The prophesies rarely go along with whatever we think they mean." _True..._ I thought but wouldn't have admitted it since we had so much of our ideas from what we'd interpreted from that prophesy.

"You sure? This one might be right, after all, Gaea brought you hear, didn't she?" I asked.

Luke shrugged, "I guess we'll find out."

Then I noticed Percy growing antsy in the distance; he still hadn't come close enough to actually see that it was only Luke. Percy had Riptide drawn prepared for anything. "Get over here, Seaweed Brain!" I called him.

He stepped forward cautiously, squinting until with some recognition, he uttered, "Luke?"

"Yep, I know, me again, but no worries-"

"He's on our side this time," I added. Percy lowered Riptide and uneasily recapped it.

"Well that's… refreshing?" Percy looked for the right word; a slight sign of relief washed through his green eyes. If it ever did come down to a fight between the two of them, it wouldn't be just then. Percy signaled for everyone else to join us. "Luke, did you Iris message Thalia? She seemed really worried when you disappeared."

Luke bit his lip, "yeah, hadn't thought of that… I probably should- definitely will, now that I know where I am."

"Iris messaging Thalia?" Leo perked up.

"Oh, yeah, Leo, I'm sure all the girls back at camp will be _oh-so-relieved_ to hear you're still alive," Piper teased.

"Just wait, Piper," Leo raised his eyebrows, and said, self-righteously, "They will be, 'specially, Miss Thalia Grace."

Piper, Percy, and I laughed, all knowing very well she probably could care less about the girl-crazy, Hephaestus kid. Jason, who wasn't entirely sure of that, grimaced just a little before saying, "Still weird, bro."

I had stepped closer to Reyna and Bobby to hear, "Who's that again?" Reyna whispered to Bobby. I kept forgetting how out of the loop the Romans were. Bobby shrugged and Reyna dropped the question, replacing it with a new one, "What do you think Gwendolyn and Dakota are up to now?" Reyna liked to talk about people she knew and could care less about the Greeks.

"Hmmm… I'd bet Dakota's drooling over Gwen while Gwen and Nico are half way to rescuing Ari and Hazel," Bobby relied nonchalantly.

"_Mehercule_! No way!" Reyna said quickly, totally immersed by the slightest hint of gossip. "I bet that's not true, really? Dakota likes Gwen!"

"Don't make your bets against the son of the god of prophesy, Reyna," I warned.

"But is that true?" Reyna really liked the gossip.

"It's true," I affirmed.

"Yeah- he'd probably try to kill me for mentioning that," Bobby thought fondly.

"Nice job, Bobby," I said sarcastically and patted him on the shoulder. "He'd mentioned that-"

"He told you? Why did he tell you?" Bobby wondered. Bobby seemed a little more defensive since apparently his best friend was going around sharing some pretty personal secrets.

"He didn't mean to, that little tidbit slipped out when he was telling us about what he'd heard from the Siren's song before Oakley came and drowned it out," I explained, giggling.

"Oh… the Siren songs…" Bobby's eyes fell, disheartened. I knew he was trying not to think of the Siren songs, how right then, he knew that his best friend was chasing after his song while Bobby could never chase his own. I wished I could step in then and try to make him feel better or at least do something, but me, doing anything, would probably only make things worse, so I stayed put.

I freaked for a moment when I heard the clashing of swords and discovered Luke and Percy to be the source. Percy gripped Riptide and was struggling against the force of Luke, still wielding the sword I'd lent him back at Legion Camp. Luke struck again, raising his blade high, as though preparing for some immoral blow._ Oh, gods, no._ But then Percy struck Luke in the gut with the dull side of his sword.

To my surprise, Luke collapsed onto the ground and broke out into a fit of laughter. I nearly screamed. I had one hand clutching my heart;_ they had only been playing,_ "_Gods! _You guys scared me! No offense, Luke, though I love you, it's really weird seeing you here, preparing to battle with us- not against us."

Luke grinned, but said nothing, glad to be with us, yet it still remained as a grim reminder of the past.

* * *

Percy and Luke continued with their sword play. I sat down on a stone, partially crumbling, it might have been part of a temple at one point and watched them practice. My thoughts drifted to the Great Prophesy. Luke had questioned it- how we knew to come here and how we were interpreting it. I thought it over closely, reciting:

_Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,_

_to storm or fire the world must fall, _

_An oath to keep with a final breath, _

_and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._

Before searching for Percy, Chiron, Jason, and I had decided on a few things. The _Doors of Death_- that, we decided meant that Gaea would bring dead rivals back to life, like Midas, Arachne, etcetera. Next, I considered the part: _to storm or fire the world must fall._ That part wasn't so hard. Storm = Zeus (god of the sky and storms and such). Fire = destruction and ruin or basically whatever will happen if Gaea wakes up and we lose.

Earlier today, more of it came true… sorta… There were technically seven half-bloods, well there were up until Luke showed up, I couldn't even guess what that would mean. Luke messed up that whole seven half-bloods part.

_An oath to keep with a final breath…_ that was concerning… a final breath- I could guess that meant someone was going to die- prophesies have foretold deaths in the past. I felt a lump in my throat, and almost couldn't get passed it. Last time we'd received a prophesy like this Cronus "killed" Luke.

I didn't want to think about it.

Jason noticed me, struggling to keep it together, "Something wrong, Annabeth?" He hopped up on the stone next to me, our feet dangled just off the ground.

"It's nothing, really… I was just thinking about the Great Prophesy…" I muttered.

"The prophesy? Did you find anything new?" He asked, his eyes gleamed, hopefully.

"I'm not sure… Usually we have no idea what these prophesies mean until they've come true."

"So..? What have you got?"

"The prophesy called for seven of us, and there's eight of us now, also the prophesy hints that someone might die," I replied.

"Hmmm…" Jason thought aloud, "I think that's one of those things that we'll have to figure out when the problem arises."

I sighed, biting my knuckle. I was worried about that. My eyes fell to Percy first, then Luke, both still in the midst of their "battle", then Bobby, strumming away thoughtfully at his lyre. My concern reached out to Dakota and Ari- even a little towards Gwendolyn- as much as I hate her, I still wouldn't want to see her die. Everyone was a risk.

* * *

The next morning, at first light, the little group of us gathered around to send an Iris message back to Camp Half-blood, everyone was eager to get a word or two in. The rainbow flickered but evened out eventually.

"Hello? Thals? You there?" Luke searched.

"Luke!" I heard Thalia cheer from the other side. "What happened to you?"

"Funny story, actually," Luke replied with a chuckle. "Gaea brought me to Greece, I'm in Corinth, Greece, with everyone- hey, everyone, say 'hi'," Luke turned to us.

We all said "Hi" or "Hello" to Thalia all at once, no voice quite that distinguishable with the exception of Leo who belted out, "Hey, Thalia!" no doubt trying his best to get her attention.

"He's on their quest?" I heard outrage from behind Thalia, Clarisse shoved Thalia aside. "If Luke's there I'm coming to!" Clarisse demanded.

Thalia rolled her eyes and said to Clarisse, "No, you're not going, you weren't picked or kidnapped or anything like that, so get over it, you're staying here."

"What's the word at camp?" I asked her.

"Camp... ummm..? It's not great. The Roman Hunters keep trying to leave but end up staying because your Roman friends are still with you on your quest. There's a lot of arguing, all since that girl, Bellatrix, thinks she can lead the Artemis cabin- she's wrong."

"Yeah… _Great_, Thalia, but we were kind of hoping for news that actually had to do with us," I tried getting her back on topic.

"Oh, yeah, right. People still speculate that Luke just might be evil- don't worry Luke, I know you're not." Thalia clarified, then added, "And also, Drew and the rest of the Aphrodite cabin are still gossiping about what happened last week- you remember, that whole scene with Bobby and Annabeth kissing and Percy getting in a fight with Bobby-"

"Yeah, we_ remember_, Pinecone Face," Percy cut her off.

"Anyway, it's all very shady business for the Aphrodite cabin- they've been placing bets to see what I can dig up on things now," Thalia paused to shout at someone behind her saying, "That's right, Drew! I know what you're doing!" Thalia turned back to us casually, "Did you know that they've been using the term 'Percabeth'? Sorry Percy and Annabeth, but that just freaks me out just a little bit."

"Thalia, we're preparing for battle, so we'd better wrap this up," Luke muttered.

"Alright, Luke, glad to hear you didn't do anything stupid- at least not intentionally and good luck!" Thalia told us. "Oh, one last thing- what should I tell Drew and her followers?"

Piper spoke up, "Tell them whatever you need to, just make sure Drew doesn't win a cent."

We said our goodbyes and tossed a drachma to Iris. All that was left now was to wait for battle. As always, we didn't have to wait for long.

The ground seemed to shiver, violently enough that it made me wonder 'Earthquake?' But no, it wasn't, Poseidon wouldn't torture us now. Gaea waking up, I assumed, would be much worse. Our cause- our foe- was coming, strolling up over the horizon. _A giant, _yippee… It wasn't even noon yet and I already knew that today was going to be a rough day.

The giant was coming at us fast, dressed in armor, and ready to fight. Even from this distance I could tell that the giant had to be over fifteen feet tall. It's armor shined in the early morning sunlight- it was an odd armor though, it didn't look anything like armor I'd seen before. By the looks of it, the giant's chest plate was constructed from stolen car parts such as hoods and doors all wielded together. The giant's helmet, I believe, still had wheels on it. It's too early for monsters, I hadn't even had enough time to eat breakfast!Of course none of that really mattered, when a man over fifteen feet wearing scrap metal is barreling after me, I think I should have had deeper concerns.

* * *

**_Sorry it took so long- there's more to come. Hope you liked it. As always, ideas are welcomed. Please write a review! Thanks!_**


	39. Mimas, the Giant

**_Warning: Mild Violence, it is nothing much worse than before, but I know that a warning might be helpful _**

* * *

**Annabeth's Story: **

The ground seemed to shiver, violently enough that it made me wonder 'Earthquake?' But no, it wasn't, Poseidon wouldn't torture us now. Gaea waking up, I assumed, would be much worse. Our cause- our foe- was coming, strolling up over the horizon. _A giant,_yippee… It wasn't even noon yet and I already knew that today was going to be a rough day.

The giant was coming at us fast, dressed in armor, and ready to fight. Even from this distance I could tell that the giant had to be over fifteen feet tall. Its armor shined in the early morning sunlight- it was an odd armor though, it didn't look anything like armor I'd seen before. By the looks of it, the giant's chest plate was constructed from stolen car parts such as hoods and doors all wielded together. The giant's helmet, I believe, still had wheels on it. It's too early for monsters; I hadn't even had enough time to eat breakfast! Of course none of that really mattered, when a man over fifteen feet wearing scrap metal is barreling after me, I think I should have had deeper concerns.

The giant stopped, planting its enormous feet only meters in front of us._ Oh gods… _then I noticed that the giant's feet weren't quite feet- they were green and scaly. I heard a hiss and were there should have been toes, there were the heart-shaped heads of snakes.

The giant looked down at us and prepared to speak. When they have to stop like this instead of just attacking, that more than likely means that they have come with intent to kill, otherwise they'd probably rather chat later. Here, the giant obviously didn't intend for us to be around to talk _later. _

"Um… Hi?" Reyna tried, but her eyes were fixed on the giant's snake feet. I could tell Reyna's primary thought was "Eww."

The giant glared at her suspiciously before realizing, she just may have been that ignorant. "_Mortals_," the giant addressed us. "Battle is coming and me _ma_ doesn't want you around when she wakes up, so let's make this easier- I am going to need to kill you."

We were pretty much unfazed by that threat, it wasn't as though it was anything new to us, I mean… _heck!_ I half expected it. When a monster comes and doesn't want to kill us that would actually be something very new and frankly, a little frightening. Percy spoke up against the giant, "Who are you to come and try to kill us?"

The giant scratched its head. Its sheet metal armor clashed together noisily. "Uh… Mimas, I'm Mimas."

We weren't asking for a name but at least this was delaying the attack- yes, only delaying it. This conversation was going nowhere and definitely wasn't going to save us.

"Alright, Mimas- why are you trying to kill us again?" Percy continued to question. I could bet he was trying to sweet talk his way out of fighting this thing as that would be the best idea- just as we had with the Cyclopes, Polyphemus. I was the one to talk my way out of conflict with Polyphemus- that cyclopes probably still thinks he's looking for a crook named "Nobody".

The giant scratched its head again but was never going to be tricked- the giant was either too stupid or too smart to fall for our tricks- at the moment, I couldn't tell which. I didn't wait for the giant's response, I pulled out my knife, and kept it close to my side so the giant might not notice yet. Seeing this, Bobby prepared his bow.

"Erm… Ma wants you, mortals, dead, ya see, so I'd better get working on that," Mimas said so in such a way I almost thought he was talking about household chores like drying the dishes. "Sorry mortals."

Mimas's feet, which were no more than ten or so thick-limbed pythons came slithering forward. We slowly began backing away, preparing our weapons with each step.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Percy tried again.

"Er… but this is how ma wants it."

"Percy, stop arguing," I hissed, revealing my knife.

In that moment, Mimas caught sight of my blade and freaked. He assumed since he was supposed to be doing the killing that there wasn't a chance that he himself could possibly be defeated, seeing my knife gave him a sudden and startling reality check. He screamed in panic with his arms waving every which way. In one specific, frantic sweep of his arm, Mimas hit me. His flying fist came like a bolder, flinging me ten yards back, crashing hard into a stone wall. I swore I heard the stones shift in the wall from the impact.

"Annabeth!" I could hear my name being shouted with concern, muffled in the distance. I felt like a ragdoll and slid to the ground, still in enough shock that I didn't quite realize the pain. Fortunately, or unfortunately- however you would like to look at it- I blacked out.

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale:**

They came back and rescued me! I could hardly believe it- I guess I do have some friends after all. Nico, Gwendolyn, and Dakota came- not everyone, but at least there was someone... at least there was Nico. I'm not going to lie, my heart just about nearly exploded when I saw him coming to rescue me- seriously, _exploded_.

Things were going so perfectly! My captors surrendered, Hazel was alive, I kissed Nico- then everything went sour from there.

Yeah, I know. So much for my fairy tale happily ever after. Oh, well, those stories are for babies anyway. Nico winced and leaned as far as he possibly could away from me and said, "Eww," as though I was no better than some mongrel mutt- but I was even worse than that. I'd seen this, here, boy pick up a dead and partially dismembered raccoon (partially to my doing) with his own bare hands yet he still says "Eww," at _me_. That was disheartening- when a girl gets rescued by the guy of her dreams, he's supposed to sweep her off her feet, kiss her, and then they ride off into the sunset together so they can go on and have babies and live happily ever after. _Thanks a lot Nico for messing all this up for me. _

Things preceded to get worse when I realized one of the nymph kids was missing- the cute one that bandaged up my shoulder, "Maxime" the others had called him. Oh, shoot!

"Where'd he go?" I questioned the copper-haired girl. She looked almost sinister by the light of the fire.

"Oh, Houdini, you figure it out," she answered. "_Escape._ Actually, I would love to see you get out of this one."

"What?" Nico asked, not entirely clear about the whole Houdini thing.

It hit me quickly enough- "The one who escaped is calling for back up- they'll attack us!"

* * *

**Annabeth's Story:**

The pain came rushing back. It was the first thing I felt- it was as though the back of my head was on fire. I could feel fat drops of blood drip down my neck. My eyes slowly refocused. Some pink blob slowly became more defined until I could make out a face – two eyes – the whites of the eyes wide with small pupils, and a big, ugly nose that looked as though it had been broken before. My vision refocused, things were getting clearer and clearer- then, _Oh, Hades, no…_ I wave of fear washed over me.

I knew if I had a shot in Hades to actually make it through this, I would have had to start running four seconds ago. The back of my head throbbed and I couldn't yet tell the extent of my injuries- running would not be an option.

Mimas snorted and a gust from his nostrils blew down at me. The giant looked at me curiously as though deciding what to do with me. Where were the others? Where was Percy? Where was Bobby? Mimas made up his mind and grabbed me by the ankle, lifting me from the ground upside-down. More blood rushed to my head. I let out an agonizing shriek.

"Sorry, mortal," Mimas spoke sincerely, "It was only s'pposed to hurt for a second." Mimas grabbed my head with his other hand, catching it between two of his fingers, "only for a second," he reiterated. Mimas began two squeeze- obviously now he intended to crush my skull. I cried out again.

Then, my salvation came darting through the air, catching Mimas in the chink of his sheet-metal armor. Mimas groaned and flipped his head in another direction, swinging me violently in that same direction. Mimas let me slip from his grip, letting me fall seven or so feet to the ground- believe me when I say that that was incredibly painful as well. When I lifted my head from the dirt, I could see Bobby preparing a second arrow from his quiver- he must have fired the first arrow, who else could have made so good a shot, making it into the chink in Mimas's armor?

Mimas immediately darted towards Bobby, oblivious to the six other demigods around his feet. It seemed Mimas could only focus on one thing at a time. Bobby launched his second arrow. It hit Mimas in the jaw just beneath his ear. The monster groaned again but never even wavered in his pursuit.

From my vantage point, on the ground, I noticed Percy chasing after Mimas always just shy of reaching Mimas with his sword. Leo, Luke, and Jason chased after as well- Jason with his lightning bolt, Luke, with my sword, and to my surprise, Leo, without any sort of weapon.

Mimas caught Bobby first, snatching him up in a fist. "No more arrows for you, mortal, " Mimas growled and plucked out the arrow lodged in his jaw. Mimas raised his fist before throwing Bobby forcefully into the ground.

I gasped and struggled to my feet. That looked like a bad blow. In the distance, above where Bobby lay on the ground, Percy, Jason, and Leo had finally reached Mimas, striking at his serpentine toes. Leo lit his hands ablaze and made the flames crawl up Mimas's limbs.

I wavered for a moment once up on my feet before beginning to trudge along as quickly as I could over to Bobby. Bobby was still on the ground, hardly moving.

Piper, Oakley, and Reyna quickly joined the fight against Mimas. Reyna and Oakley made old oak trees twist their limbs around Mimas's waist and Piper charged at the giant with her dagger drawn. The flame Leo had started quickly spread over Mimas, melting away flesh, revealing blood and bone.

The ancient ruins which had seemed so dead, couldn't have ever been more alive than perhaps they ever were just then. The battle was going in full rage- five demigods and a satyr combating a giant and I was forced to watch it all from the sidelines.

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale:**

I found out I was right. Spears whipped through the air, descending on this little camp. From this, I only had one, instinctual thought, _run!_ There was a sudden panic as we rushed around, trying to evade the barrage of spears and arrows. Nico grabbed my good arm and pulled me along trying to get out of the war zone. The arrows and spears were being fired from the slope up over the cave, so logically, we fled the other way, diving into the tall grasses.

That was when I realized that it was just me and Nico. Where were the others? Gwen, Hazel, and Dakota were missing. Oh, gods, they've been shot! I panicked- but wait, let's not let my imagination run wild- I don't know that, they could be fine... who am I kidding? I was lucky to get out of there alive.

I glanced back at the campsite- it was empty with arrows half-plunged into the dirt and spears littering the ground. Other than that, it was empty.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"Shhh!" Nico snapped.

"Where are they?" I asked again, in a whisper.

"How am I supposed to know?" He shot back at me. We didn't want to wait around to get shot at again so we kept moving rushing briskly through the tall grass- the grass was tall enough that we could move pretty much undetected. I highly doubt either of us knew for sure where we were going, but anywhere away from here sounded pretty good.

If Hazel, Dakota, and Gwendolyn survived, they could meet up with us later.

* * *

**Annabeth's Story: **

I finally reached Bobby and all but collapsed on the ground beside him as my injuries were close to debilitating. I sat beside him. By then, Bobby was in bad shape. His chest moved rapidly, fluctuating with his quick and shallow breaths - which couldn't have been a good thing. Medically, it could mean a lot of things, but based on how Mimas had thrown him to the ground, I could guess at internal bleeding. I prayed to Apollo that it was nothing that serious, as there was nothing that I could do.

"Bobby!" I got his attention, "What were you thinking?"

Bobby glanced up at me and forced a smile despite all the pain he was in. "Wasn't thinking," he moaned.

I sighed and looked down at him. "What am I going to do with you?" I muttered to myself. "Are you hurt?"

I was hoping he'd say no.

"Um... a little," Bobby tried to move onto his side to see the extent of his injuries. He struggled for a moment and almost screamed before falling back onto his back. "Yeah, I'm definitely hurt."

"How bad?" I didn't want to know- my gut feeling was right far too often. When he didn't answer right away, I got the answer for myself, pulling up his shirt and exposing his bare chest. His chest was was worse than I thought it would be- beaten purple and blue. The bruises seemed to be swelling. He didn't have to tell me for me to know that he was bleeding internally. "Bobby!" I whined.

Between quick breaths, he responded, "Had to keep my word- had to keep you safe, just like I promised."

* * *

**_Lots of action this time- this scene will be continued in the next chapter. This story is drawing near its end, only a few chapters left. Hope you have enjoyed it so far. As always, ideas are welcomed, and please, please, please review- your thoughts are greatly appreciated._**

**_An additional note: _**

**_Mimas is the name of an actual giant in Greek mythology- not something that I am just making up. He was killed by Vulcan in a battle against the gods._**

**_Also, separately, I drew a cover for The Daughter of Minerva, you can see it on my profile. _**


	40. Thoughts of Death and Dying

**Annabeth's Story:**

I sighed and looked down at him. "What am I going to do with you?" I muttered to myself. "Are you hurt?"

I was hoping he'd say no.

"Um... a little," Bobby tried to move onto his side to see the extent of his injuries. He struggled for a moment and almost screamed before falling back onto his back. "Yeah, I'm definitely hurt."

"How bad?" I didn't want to know- my gut feeling was right far too often. When he didn't answer right away, I got the answer for myself, pulling up his shirt and exposing his bare chest. His chest was worse than I thought it would be- beaten purple and blue. The bruises seemed to be swelling. He didn't have to tell me for me to know that he was bleeding internally. "Bobby!" I whined.

Between quick breaths, he responded, "Had to keep my word- had to keep you safe, just like I promised."

The fight wore down. Mimas was burning alive but still carried on lashing back at the others. On the side lines, I sat beside Bobby panicking. From what I knew about first aid, internal bleeding was something I couldn't actually treat. I'm sure Bobby knew that too and that was why he wasn't doing anything. "How's the pain?" I asked him.

"It hurts to breathe, other than that I think I'm alright," Bobby replied.

"Alright? You're far from alright, I think we need to get you to a hospital or whip out the nectar and ambrosia or something-"

He interrupted with, "It's a little late for nectar and ambrosia."

"No, it's not," I insisted. I wasn't about to let him give up. I called for Leo. Leo quit burning Mimas for just a second to come to my aid.

"What's wrong?" Leo said quickly- the air was so unsettling that you knew there had to be something going terribly wrong.

"Bobby's badly hurt- I need ambrosia, nectar- whatever you've got," I commanded. Leo looked at me, a little confused, and then he realized I needed him to pull this stuff from his wonderful, magic tool belt. Realizing this, he pulled out a vile of nectar and a tin of ambrosia squares.

I quickly snatched the vile of nectar from Leo's hands, uncapped it, and shoved it down Bobby's throat.

"Easy on me, please!" Bobby whined. Since he was trying to talk while involuntarily gulping down nectar, the nectar streaked across his cheeks and dribbled down his neck.

"Any better?" I wondered. The bruising on his chest seemed to heal a little turning more on the green side, if anything, but it didn't seem to be quite enough to repair all the damage.

"A little," Bobby replied. He held out his arms for me to pull him off the ground. "Thanks."

"Ambrosia?" I offered.

"No, it'll make me sick," Bobby groaned.

I tore of a piece of an ambrosia square and nibbled on it leisurely and slowly the pain in the back of my head began to relent. I ran one hand through my hair, pushing my hair back and out of my face. There was a heavy, matted patch on the back of my head. I combed my fingers through it and twisted my blonde hair until I could see it- my dirty blonde hair stained with streaks of sticky scarlet. The blood stained my knuckles.

"You're bleeding," Bobby worried.

"It's nothing, besides, you're the last person who should be worrying," I told him.

"You're obviously hurt- let me see, my father's the god of medicine, so let me see!" he urged, leaning towards me. He groaned but moved towards me anyway. With one great paw, he pulled my head in towards him to get a better look.

"Ouch!" I complained. "Don't make this about me-"

"The wound doesn't look deep, if you cracked your skull, it looks like the ambrosia may have fixed that. There isn't much bleeding, and it should heal," Bobby analyzed.

I tore my head away and looked at him- my stormy eyes meeting his. I could see pain in his eyes and he continued to breathe heavily. It was just then beginning to dawn on me of how serious things were. There was nothing I could l do to save him. Even the First-Aid manual had said nothing more than to call 9-1-1. Focusing on me was a distraction as though he could hide the evidence from me.

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale: **

I'm pretty sure I woke up around noon the next day- my mom would be mortified to hear that, as she is up to unleash dawn every morning. Nico and I, instead of making camp, with it was warm enough outside that we fell asleep on poorly improvised beds of tall grass that had been pushed down and bent. It wasn't a comfortable night. Once when trying to fall asleep, I used Nico's belly as a pillow- that only resulted in him kneeing me in the shoulder, which I'm still not entirely sure whether he was awake for or not.

I woke up first, stretching irritably. My back hurt from lying on the ground and my shoulder hurt from Nico kicking it last night. I wasn't about to wait around all patiently for him to get up, so I hit him in the gut. The quick hit sent him springing upright and awake, alert with a hand gripping his sword.

"Morning, Ghost boy," I greeted, all smiles.

"Oh, you loon! You woke me up and there's not even anyone here?" Nico dropped his head to the ground.

"Get up!" I commanded.

"Or what? You'll punch me again?" Nico dug his head into his arms, straining for that extra five minutes of sleep.

"Don't tempt me," I replied.

"Please, just don't, Ari," Nico complained, "I've got a head ache."

"Just a head ache? Come on, Nico, get up! I can nurse a headache for days before I'd start complaining, so so can you!"

Nico moaned. "It's not just a headache." Nico sat up again. "My ears are ringing, too- a demigod's dying…"

"What?" I panicked. "Who? Not Annabeth or Dakota or Gwen or Hazel or the others right?" I asked quickly, needing to know.

Nico grumbled, "I don't know."

"We'd better go find them- we have to! If someone's dying, we could possible go and save them!" I shouted. Nico didn't move, so I moved him myself. I shoved him into the shade of the tall grass, out of reach from the sun. "Shadow travel there!"

"Can't you ask nicely?" Nico groaned.

"Now!" I barked.

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale (continued…) :**

Nico brought us back to another part of the field. Here was as good as anywhere to start searching for Gwendolyn, Dakota, and Hazel. Nico and I rushed around the field searching for signs of their presence. Fortunately, I think Nico was coming around to the notion that it might just be a really bad thing if someone dies, no matter who it is.

We came across Gwendolyn first. We could hear the jingling of the key ring round her neck from a distance.

"Nico! Ari! Come quick, we have to find the others-" Gwendolyn said quickly. "Dakota's been shot!" We followed after her. Gwendolyn led us to a shaded area, under the cover of a few trees. I could hear Dakota whimpering softly, trying to keep from screaming. I glanced down at Dakota with horror- the arrow was lodged deep inside his chest. Hazel sat on her knees next to him, tearing off his t-shirt. She used his shredded shirt to try and stop the bleeding, applying pressure around the arrow.

"Get it out!" Dakota shrieked.

"I will, calm down! You're not helping me by freaking out, less freaking out means lower blood pressure means I can get this arrow out, so cut it out!" Hazel snapped at him.

"Easier said than done, babe," Dakota got out between screams. "You're not the one with a freakin' arrow in your chest!"

I winced trying to look away. Though I act tough, I hate blood. It kind of makes me sick. Even looking at my own shoulder- still bandaged from being shot yesterday- made me sick.

Gwendolyn sat down next to Hazel, "Dakota, just try! Hazel knows what she's doing." Gwendolyn grabbed Dakota's hand. I could hear Dakota exhale slowly, trying to calm down.

* * *

**Annabeth's Story:**

Bobby dropped his head into his hands and began to murmur into his fists. "Praying to Asclepius?" I asked when he was finished. Asclepius was the god of healing, a minor god, and one of Apollo's fans.

Bobby shook his head, "been praying to Pluto, figuring that starting now might help, more than later." Pluto, I thought. Pluto = Hades = Underworld = Death.

I gasped and threw my arms around his neck, "Don't talk like that! Please!"

"Annabeth, I'm only being realistic," he huffed glumly.

"Well, stop it! You can't die on me, Bobby. At least, not now…" I said quickly, letting the words die out. Still in his embrace, I could feel him playing with strands of my hair. "You can't leave me like this," I whispered to him, a tear or two streaked down my cheek. I pulled him tighter and closer until I could feel the rapid thudding of his heart pulse against mine. He was feverish now, only growing more sickly. "_Stay_. Like this…" I whispered. "_Don't move and don't change."_ If only that would ever work in any situation… "_I love you _like this…" my words lingered in his ear, ever so sweetly.

"You don't love me…" Bobby sighed. "What about Percy?" He coughed.

"Sure, I care about Percy… but that's different, you're not him- if you need more proof 'I swear on the River Styx that-'" I rambled.

"No," Bobby interrupted. "I believe you, just don't swear on that river, it's not safe to swear on that river…"

I listened to Bobby, half-hearing him. I meant what I'd said though, instinctually I had to prove it. Without a second thought, I kissed Bobby. My soft lips shaped to his, locking. I felt his arm pull around me, bringing me closer.

He planted a sticky kiss on my neck before letting his head fall onto my lap. He was shivering. "I'll meet you again in the Isles of the Blessed, Annabeth," he sighed. I squeezed his hand in my hand and with my other hand, I stroked his hair, teary-eyed. I couldn't even remember when the tears started coming, all I can recall is how they never stopped.

"Don't say that- not now! You're not dying. You're just hurt," I said amidst sobs._ Oh, Apollo, Zeus, Mom- whoever it takes, even Aphrodite for that matter, help! _ I waited hoping my prayer might do something- if it did, I couldn't tell.

* * *

_**What do you think? Please write a review and tell me, amabo te! I'm not sure what happens next- not entirely anyway, so I'm open to ideas. I'll try to write the next few chapters quickly or quicker anyway... Gratias Ago!**_

_**Also, I drew a cover for this story, if you would like to see it, it is posted on my profile page. **_


	41. The Immediate Aftermath

**Luke's Angle:**

I wiped the sweat off my brow and dropped Annabeth's sword to the ground. I stood beside Percy and Jason and we watched Mimas collapse while engulfed in flames. I took a deep breath- exhausted, the fight had taken a lot out of me.

Mimas had been defeated, so now what? I almost expected the clouds to open up and the gods to descend and congratulate us or something- no, the gods hate us, why would they bother? I looked around, remembering how Annabeth had gotten hurt earlier.

Apparently, she wasn't _that_ hurt as I could see her in the distance, kissing Bobby. _Oh gods, Annabeth… What are you doing? _First, I got annoyed when she started liking Percy- and now Bobby? the second guy I told her I didn't like. It was getting awkward watching them hug and kiss and stuff, just being me- a third-party, outsider- I kind of wondered what Percy would do about this. I glanced over at him- he'd been staring too, we all had been.

Percy looked hurt. He capped Riptide and slipped it into his pocket and said nothing.

"Don't read into it, man," Leo spoke up, "He needed ambrosia and nectar- he's dying, she pities him."

"Pity? Of course you'd be one to recognize that," Piper teased.

"Be nice," Jason told her.

"Heh…" Percy gave a sarcastic laugh, "like this is really supposed to make me feel better?"

"Girls will do anything for guys on their deathbed," Leo replied.

"You know this… how?" I wondered.

"Ever try pretending you were on the verge of death? Trust me, do that and you'll know," Leo replied.

"Huh… I was cheated. I didn't get anything on my deathbed and it seems like coming back from the dead has only made people fear me more than when I was possessed by Cronus," I muttered.

"Bummer…" Leo smirked.

"Anyway, Percy, there's a big difference between love and pity," I piped up.

"Well, they don't look terribly different from here," Percy sighed.

"There is- remember that," I reiterated.

We saw Bobby lay back and rest his head on Annabeth's lap before we began walking back towards them. As we came close, the scene seemed to change. Annabeth's hair and clothes were stained with blood that seemed to have leaked out from the back of her head, her eyes were red and her cheeks, tear stained. The poor girl was a mess of sweat, tears, and blood. Bobby didn't look too much better- he had blood stains on his face. The blood obviously wasn't his and may have came from Annabeth's blood covered palms. As he wasn't wearing a shirt, I could see his bare chest plainly- it was covered in bruises, some severely dark or expansive bruises on him in particular showed how injured he actually was.

Seeing the two of them like this, certainly changed things. It was damn near impossible to stay mad at them in the state they were in, though Percy might have had an easier time.

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted with concern. He broke into a sprint, running towards her. He stopped a pace or two away to ask, "Are you alright?"

Annabeth nodded quickly, before explaining, "I got a concussion, the back of my skull cracked- but I think the ambrosia has already fixed that, so it's not bleeding anymore. Bobby said that the cut on the back of my head wasn't too deep."

I winced- that sounded pretty bad. Annabeth was definitely downplaying how hurt she really was. Frankly, I could say I was a little worried and would have spoken up if nobody else did. Percy moved towards her, he looked at the back of her skull. "I don't see your brain, Wise Girl, so maybe it's not that deep."

"See? I'll be fine," Annabeth shrugged it off.

He hugged her and sweetly said, "Thank the gods, you're okay." Percy hadn't forgotten about what had just happened between Annabeth and Bobby, but that wasn't his top concern. For now, he cared about her enough that he was content to know that she was, for the most part, healthy and safe.

"I'm fine, but Bobby's not." _Of course she had to ruin Percy's moment by bringing up Bobby_. "I'm pretty sure he has internal bleeding. He keeps saying he's going to die-"

"I am," Bobby interrupted, bleakly.

"You're not!" She argued back. She turned her attention back to everyone else and continued, "I don't think there is anything that any one of us can do to help him…"

"Wait… what about Gwen?" Percy asked. I saw Annabeth roll her eyes. I knew she hated hearing about Gwendolyn from Percy. "No, seriously, she can do black magic. She might be able to help him."

Jason spoke up, "Percy's right- she can do some pretty strange things with that magic, I wouldn't be surprised if she could save him."

"-Not_ save_, because he's not _dying_…" Annabeth grumbled, forcing optimism most pessimistically.

"One problem with that idea, guys, Gwendolyn's not here," I mentioned. That was an important point.

"We'll find her then," Reyna said. "She's got to be around here somewhere."

* * *

**_Sorry this one was so short, but I just had to put it up. I apologize to all those who didn't like the last chapter but I figured it would help the story in the long run. The next few chapters will be longer and I'll try to get them up quickly. Also one thing to mention, I do intend to give this story a happy ending- I think readers will like the ending (most of you will, anyway). Thanks for reading and please write a review!_**


	42. Mors in Media Res

**_Warning: this chapter has a lot of bloody scenes and is incredibly sad, but nothing above the 'T' rating. _**

* * *

**Another Short Narrative from Gwendolyn: **

I was holding hands with a boy who was dying. Gods, he had a strong grip! Fortunately, Dakota had stopped screaming. Hazel checked his pulse, waiting for his heart rate to slow.

"Alright, Dakota, get ready, this is going to hurt- a lot," Hazel warned. She made a fist around the shaft of the arrow, getting prepared to pull. Dakota interlaced his fingers with mine.

Hazel pulled slowly, trying to pry the arrow out as best she could. I could feel his pain. He gritted his teeth, groaning, and squeezed my hand until I felt my knuckles crack. Hazel let go- the arrow was still inside him. Deep, dark blood seeped out from around the arrow. Hazel quickly wiped it away. "I-I can't…" she whispered.

"Just get it out," Dakota whimpered. Sweat had begun to bead on his forehead. I heard Ari gasp from behind me. I could hear her feet scurrying away through the tall grass.

"Ari?" Nico asked. He rushed after her. "Ari?" After hardly any time at all, he came running back, with his face twisted in a look of disgust. He shuttered as though trying to get the image of whatever he had just seen out of his head. "That was gross… She puked! Gross!"

Ari came stumbling back after another moment or so. She wiped her lower lip with the back of her hand, "Sorry, Nico, I don't like blood."

"A little warning would be nice."

"I don't think I should try again…" Hazel muttered. "That was a lot of blood- I don't know how much more of this you can take…"

Dakota squeezed my hand before saying to Hazel, "I can take it! Just do it quick."

Hazel bit her lip before gingerly positioning her fingers around the shaft of the arrow again. "It's going to hurt like Tartarus, so be ready."

Dakota nodded quickly, he was in pain and could care less about the means it took to possibly get rid of the pain.

"I can't be sure that I'll be able to stop the bleeding," Hazel warned.

"Just do it," he grunted.

"But, Dakota-" I stammered, he didn't seem to understand the consequences- how dangerous this actually was and how he was at risk of bleeding out.

"Get it out! _Amabo te_!" Dakota begged.

Hazel finally pulled the arrow's shaft again. Dakota looked up at me- eyes flashing with pain. He tightened his grip on my hand. Hazel slowly pulled the arrow out, the wooden shaft was stained with blood and the arrow head looked black, dark and saturated with Dakota's blood. Though the arrow was gone, Dakota screamed, his heart was rushing, his blood had begun to pool and gush. Hazel tried to cover the wound frantically, adding pressure as needed. His cries died down in a few moments. After about a minute, Hazel checked his pulse then asked "How's the pain?"

"Hardly feel it now…" Dakota sighed.

"No… we're losing him. I have to find help!" Hazel panicked getting to her feet and running.

Dakota turned his head towards me. "Stay… Babe, please…" he whispered.

I leaned in, "I'm not going anywhere, Dakota."

"I'm not going to make it, am I?" Dakota asked. I didn't know what to say and kept quiet- my silence was enough of an answer in itself. "What's my sister going to do? Tell her I love her but she's got to quit the Hunters. And tell Bobby, he can have all my stuff, I know he'd appreciate that. And, um… tell Annabeth to 'be good', she'll know what I mean."

"I'll tell them…" His blood was soaking through the improvised cloth band aids and there was nothing else I could put on it. His breathing was slow but his hand was still wrapped around mine. "Stay calm…" I remembered what Hazel had said about blood pressure. "I'm here."

"Please, Gwen… stay until I'm gone. Now, there's something I have to tell you…" Dakota whispered.

With one hand, I swept his dark, matted hair out of his eyes, my fingers followed down, resting on his cheek and lingering for long enough that I, feeling self conscious, quickly pulled my hand away. "What is it?" I wondered sincerely.

"I'm not real good with saying stuff like this… none of this emotional trash, but I've got to tell you, Gwen… I've been in love with you since I was nine years old, back when my mom dropped me and my sister off a Legion Camp and never came back. I met you and sort of just knew… Funny thing is, I've been trying to figure out just how to say that for the last eight years, and now it's just about too late."

My jaw dropped, I wasn't expecting that, not at all. I supposed that he may have been telling the truth- I'd never seen him obsess over other girls. Plus, he may have always been a jerk, yet I have never heard one negative comment towards me. A sour combination of guilt and pity boiled in my conscience. "Don't say it's too late, Dakota." I took a deep breath already regretting what I planned to do. I leaned in and planted a kiss on his forehead. "I'm here."

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale:**

Blood… eww… can't look. Going to be sick… again. I sat on the ground rocking myself back and forth. Eww… eww… I felt terrible but couldn't stand looking at Dakota. Nico poked me on my good shoulder to get my attention.

"We don't have to be here if you're going to get sick again," Nico told me. "In fact, I think Dakota and Gwen might prefer that."

I nodded and pulled myself to my feet.

"Let's go help out Hazel," Nico said with encouragement.

"Good idea."

We chased after Hazel, who was still sprinting- looking for help, she had explained. Probably looking for Bobby and the others- if anyone could help, it would be Bobby. Back at Legion Camp, I vaguely recall how his cabin took in the injured- and Bobby, being the head of his cabin, must have been pretty good with his medicines.

As we ran, Nico said to me, "I'm sorry I freaked out when you were –getting sick."

"Don't apologize, Ghost Boy, it'll happen again if you get so much as a paper cut," I giggled. Nico wrinkled his nose as though he wished he hadn't said anything at all.

* * *

**Annabeth's Story:**

Fortunately, we didn't have to even start looking for Gwendolyn, since Hazel came barreling through the ruins coming quickly towards us. Ari and Nico came running after her a few moments behind.

"Great, Hazel, where's Gwen?" Reyna asked.

Hazel came closer, out of breath, she huffed, "No time, Dakota's been shot- he's bleeding out. I tried my best but I need Bobby to take over."

"That's not going to happen…" I muttered.

"Yeah…" Bobby agreed. I helped him sit upright on the ground.

Hazel's eyes ran over his wounds.

"We need Gwen's help, so is she coming?" Percy asked.

Hazel shook her head, "she's with Dakota- he's not doing well, or wasn't when I left." I bit my lip and my eyes fell to the ground, this entire situation was a mess. I could calculate the odds of things working out alright a million times over and I still knew I wouldn't like them any better the millionth time around.

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale:**

Nico and I stood on the fringes of the group. Hazel was explaining how Dakota had been shot and how she was unable to save him. Nico turned to me and whispered, "What they don't know is that Dakota's already gone."

"What?" I asked quickly.

"Mars carried him away, since he died honorably from injuries in battle. He's being judged in the Underworld, now," Nico stated sorely.

I sniffled and suddenly, I couldn't help myself, I started crying. Sure I didn't know Dakota well, but I just saw him moments ago, bleeding and hurt, and now he's dead… I tried to hold off on the tears. "Aren't you going to tell everyone else?"

Nico shook his head, "They'll find out now or they'll find out later, it makes no difference."

"Don't tell them now," I choked out, "that would kill whatever optimism is left".

* * *

**Annabeth's Story:**

It was decided that most of us would go and get Dakota and Gwendolyn, while a few stayed back with Bobby. I stayed back, with Percy, Luke, Reyna, and Bobby. The five of us sat around in an awkward silence.

"Did you try eating more ambrosia?" Reyna suggested.

"You should try some more, I think," I told Bobby.

He didn't relent and tried some more. The black and blue on his chest continued to recede.

"Maybe we wouldn't need Gwendolyn if you had just had listened to my great advice and ate your ambrosia," I told him.

"You fought Annabeth over eating ambrosia?" Percy asked in disbelief.

"I know- he wouldn't have taken the nectar either if I hadn't poured it down his throat," I added.

"I just don't like it, I guess," Bobby shrugged- I could already tell that he had begun to feel better.

"Not like ambrosia? That's crazy," Percy replied.

"Well, you've never seen someone overdose on it, have you?" Bobby questioned.

Percy shook his head.

"You almost ate too much of it once," I told Percy, "remember? When you first came to camp, I started feeding you ambrosia and if I hadn't taken it away from you, you would have O."

Percy grinned, "Yeah, I remember. It tasted like blue chocolate chip cookies, I couldn't help it."

"Blue?" Reyna wondered.

"Percy likes things that are blue," I explained.

Reyna looked at me curiously and then back at Percy, but didn't comment.

Luke was standing nearby, pretending not to listen. He was definitely paying attention but made no comments.

The others returned about a half an hour later. They had Gwendolyn with them and only Gwendolyn- the girl who I hear was not one to cry was sobbing uncontrollably.

"What happened?" Percy asked.

Hazel answered him, "We've lost Dakota." Nothing more had to be said.

"Dakota's dead?" Bobby muttered in disbelief. "He was fine and then he run off on some rescue mission and gets himself killed?" His head fell into his hands. Watching him cry was almost unbearable. I hugged him, trying my best to comfort him- he had just found out that his best friend was dead.

The next hour or so was spent in mourning. After that, Luke and Jason made a fire. It was getting late- roughly seven p.m. and getting dark. We didn't have tents or anything to set up, so we would just have to make do with just a fire.

* * *

**Annabeth's Story (continued…):**

I woke up the next morning with a shadow looming over me. Startled I jumped.

"Calm down, it's just me," I could see in the pale, morning light that it was only Gwendolyn. Her light hair seemed to give her a ghostly appearance. "I can help Bobby," she told me, "but the thing about black magic, is that it wouldn't be called black magic if it wasn't a little evil. I'll need blood as a sacrifice to my mom, and I was thinking that maybe you would be willing to give that up."

* * *

**_Hope you enjoyed this chapter- maybe enjoyed isn't the best word, but anyway, please, please, please review, as always ideas are welcomed. _**

**_Other notes: _**

**_Thank you, 'Going. Going. It's Gone.', your review should answer some readers' questions: "To people who are like 'OMG, OOC Annabeth Who Does She Love?' you can love more than one person. It sucks, but it's true."_**


	43. The Cure

**Annabeth's Story:**

"Blood? …my blood? How much?" I asked her. I stood up, getting off the cool, dusty ground. The air wasn't much better- it was cool and crisp, almost seemed startling to me in just jeans and a t-shirt.

"Does it even matter?" Gwendolyn rolled her eyes. "Are you going to save him or not?"

"Do you expect me to say no? Just tell me, how much blood?" I reiterated.

"I don't know how much I'm going to need, if it comes to the point where you bleed out and die- perhaps it's all for the better," Gwendolyn gave a dark smile. "Perhaps then Percy might come crawling back to me…hmm, on second thought, he'd probably come crawling back to me anyway if you do say yes, whether you die or not."

"That's not true…" I muttered.

"You're so proud as to think that he'll still want you after everything you've done- _and everything Bobby has done_?" Gwendolyn taunted.

"Percy knows that I'm not going to let Bobby die and I wouldn't let anyone die, Percy should know my answer would the same for Bobby as it would be for Hazel, or Piper, or Jason, or Leo, or Luke. So don't put the focus on me," I defended.

"True, but because it's Bobby we're talking about, don't pretend that doesn't change things," Gwendolyn grumbled. "He says all the time how much he loves you and can bet you've said the same thing to him once or twice. We've all seen you making out with him, so think twice before you decided." The worst part of this was that Gwendolyn was completely right even though she hadn't even been around to see everything that went on yesterday. I tried my hardest not to act surprised.

"Alright, you can have whatever you need, blood or whatever you need, but make no mistake, I'm in love with Percy and as of now, Percy is in love with me, so you'd better not do anything to get in the way of that," I warned. I normally would have kept quiet, wouldn't have made threats, but she was threatening me with something far beyond what I could ever bear losing.

"If that's how you want it, fine, but whatever happens, you can't blame me," Gwendolyn replied. "Let's do this thing."

I followed Gwendolyn. She stopped, standing over Bobby- he was shivering in his sleep.

"Aren't you going to wake him up?" I asked her.

Gwendolyn shook her head, "it makes no difference, and I doubt he'd oppose- or actually, he just might, once he sees you bleeding out. I'd keep him sleeping… Let's begin." Gwendolyn pulled out a knife and went down on her knees on the dusty ground. I followed her lead. "_Mater Trivia, iuva me cum mea maga, curare puerum hic_." Gwendolyn then took her dagger and grabbed my hand. She pressed the blade into my wrist. I winced, feeling the blade press deeper and deeper into my arm. The blood came quickly gushing from my wrist, it seemed like Gwendolyn had been trying to hit an artery- if she did she'd only nicked it, the blood may have been gushing but not the extent I would have expected. Gwendolyn withdrew the blade and let the blood on the blade drip down, splashing in little drips into the dust and over Bobby. My arm was stinging, I cradled my wound and tried my best to keep quiet- Gwen and I were the only two awake- the others were all curled up on the ground still snoring- or at least that was what I had thought.

"Your boyfriend's all cured," Gwen taunted, re-sheathing her blade. I glared at her, and she said no more.

In the meantime, I tore off the sleeve of my t-shirt to use it as a bandage over my wrist. It wasn't deep enough that I felt I needed to be truly concerned, but it was deep enough for me to gasp and wince 'cause it hurt like Hades. I sat down near Percy and looking out over at everyone else.

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale:**

I was up bright and early as usual, but when I woke up, to my surprise, it wasn't just me- I saw Gwendolyn and Annabeth talking quietly. They got up, sat around Bobby. Gwendolyn started babbling something or another in Latin, then took out a knife. She cut into Annabeth's arm- eww! Knowing there would be blood, I quickly turned away and pretended to be asleep still.

After a few minutes, I got up and looked around again, Annabeth had wrapped up her arm and was sitting by Percy- he was still asleep. With her arm all covered up- it was safe to go talk to her.

* * *

**Annabeth's Story:**

When Ari woke up, she came over to talk- or meant to, anyway. "'Morning, Annabeth," Ari greeted. Ari must not have seen Percy and tripped over him, "Whoa!"

Percy awoke, startled, and looking around wildly. "Wha-what's happening?"

"Sorry, Percy! I'm sorry!" Ari said quickly.

"Ari tripped over you- don't worry, no one's attacking us, go back to sleep," I said soothingly.

"Wait, Annabeth- what happened to your arm?" Percy asked. I forgot I'd been cradling it- it still hurt badly.

"Gwendolyn said she needed blood to cure Bobby," I muttered.

"Blood?" Ari grimaced.

"Yeah, apparently black magic requires a blood sacrifice," I sighed.

"Bobby's cured then?" Percy wondered indifferently- I doubt he wanted Bobby to still be dying but he also didn't want to hear that he was all better either.

"Yeah, I think so," I nodded.

After a few moments of silence, just sitting around on the stone ground, Percy asked, hesitantly, "What's up between you and him anyway?" He was trying not to be offensive, this had obviously been bothering him and he had to get it out. "I know it's probably none of my business, but I care about you and I think I should know," he muttered. I sighed and looked away, I didn't know how to answer this.

"I'd rather not talk about Bobby… "

"That's a little worrying," he muttered.

"But Percy- don't think that he changes anything- especially how I feel about you," I didn't like talking about emotions, nothing like this. I choked out whatever I could anyway. "Percy- you've been my best friend since I was twelve, and was infatuated with you since then-"

"Infatuated?" He was unfamiliar with the word.

"I had the biggest crush on you," I explained more simply.

Percy grinned and kept listening.

"I've cared about you for that long, so don't think I'd be so quick to give you up," I told him reaching out to touch his hand. "Bobby's a friend, let's leave it at that. When this is over, we'll go back to Camp Half-Blood and he'll go back to Legion Camp." Percy's smile faded. He didn't like hearing that, I can imagine why but at least this was resolved.

* * *

**_I know it was short- but there are more chapters, I've been trying to post them quickly. Hope you enjoyed it. Please write a review - reviews help so much in writing the upcoming chapters, they let me know what you like and what you don't so they will improve the story, so please, please write reviews! Gratias Ago!_**


	44. Going Home

**Annabeth's Story:**

Mimas was dead and there didn't seem to be any sign of an upcoming attack- I hadn't even seen the 'Children of the Earth' since that first night they'd attacked us- for now there weren't any attacks, at least none at the present moment, so by noon, Jason and Percy sent word to Chiron via Iris Message of our "success". Olympus was reopened and Chiron gave us the 'okay' to get back on the Argo II and fly on back to Camp Half-Blood. We boarded the ship that day to set off over the Mediterranean that night.

Once, Percy and I passed by Bobby while up on deck- coincidentally, not on purpose. "All better?" I asked in passing.

"Actually, yeah- great, Gwendolyn said she had been able to heal me," Bobby replied. "Also, thanks… for the encouragement yesterday."

After we had passed by and headed beneath the deck, Percy told me, "Though I may not like the guy, you should have let him know you helped save him too, especially after what Gwendolyn had to do to you." Percy held my injured arm, gently so as not to touch the wound.

"As much as I hate not receiving credit, it's probably best I don't send him mixed signals."

"Mixed signals? There something I should know?" he teased, not reading too much into it.

"Yeah, about that… you'd be surprised about what he blew out of proportion," I let that conversation drop at that. Percy and I lounged around in the bunk room for a little while, specifically fond of the top bunks. Percy climbed up first. I helped myself up after. "This room is stuffier than I remember, don't you think?"

"It is," Percy concurred, "but it's bound to seem bigger once we've been stuck on this ship for a few more days."

"True… ugh, this is such a long quest," I groaned.

"It is a long one," Percy agreed. "Something's been bothering me though… it doesn't feel like it's over."

"That's been bothering me too, it doesn't seem to go along with the prophesy- that's what's been bugging me the most," I told him.

"What's the prophesy? Maybe we can figure it out," Percy suggested.

"_Seven demigods shall answer the fall_…" I began.

"That's easy enough. Seven demigods- me, you, Jason, Piper, Leo, Reyna, Bobby, then… oh, Luke- that makes eight," Percy told.

"Yeah, you can see where I'm running into problems," I commented. "Maybe we weren't supposed to count Luke?"

"Maybe, but he did help us, so I'd think he would count too," Percy replied.

"Okay, next line, _To storm or fire the world must fall_…"

"That hasn't happened yet I don't think, alright, next line then," Percy moved on.

"_An oath to keep with a final breath…_" I recited.

"Did Dakota keep any oaths?" Percy wondered.

I shook my head, "I think I know what was supposed to happen. I'm just not entirely sure why it didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think Bobby was supposed to live…" I muttered. "There would have only been seven of us then and he almost died keeping a promise he made to me. If that had happened, then maybe the rest of the prophesy would have made sense."

"Can that even happen?" Percy asked. "The prophesy not coming true…?"

"It was the Great Prophesy, it didn't have to happen this soon," I answered.

"But if this wasn't it, then what was our quest?" Percy wondered. I'd been wondering just about the same thing. I suddenly started laughing uncontrollably and couldn't stop. Percy started laughing too- we could contain ourselves. Having gone so far and done this much- all for what? We spied on Gaea's forces, killed a giant, got Olympus to open.

"Maybe we were just too early?" I suggested.

"Bad timing? Like right place wrong time?" Percy added. "Could be, the 'quest' or whatever we just went on has to have been useful. It's not as though we didn't do anything."

"True, I think if it had been the 'right time', Gaea would have had a bigger army than just Mimas and the 'Children of the Earth' may have at least had some training under their belts," I thought aloud.

"Ha, yeah, that sounds about right," he chuckled, still enjoying the irony.

**

* * *

Ariadne's Tale: **

I had to awkwardly slink away from Annabeth and Percy once Percy had woken up earlier. They started talking about Bobby and all that drama and it was really awkward to hear about it. I got up and left, woke up Nico and decided to bug him for the next half hour- I poked him, hummed annoying tunes, and tried talking him into letting me braid his short, dark hair- that last one didn't work out too well, but it served its purpose nicely. Later, we boarded the Argo II, Jason and Annabeth told us that the quest was over. Over? But what about the war with Gaea? Was that still on or did Gaea just give up or something? I must have missed that memo.

I boarded the ship with a little bit of help from Nico, Leo, and Luke- it ain't easy to climb ladders with a busted shoulder. Once I was back up on the ship, I sighed a little knowing the next time I'd be able to leave this ship would be in over a week when we were back at Camp Half-Blood. Already I was just about ready to kiss the ground, the next few weeks would be tough.

**

* * *

Annabeth's Story:**

Jason, Piper, Percy, Oakley and I sat around in the little kitchen eating dinner. The kitchen table was so small that Oakley and Jason had to stand off to the side. I didn't remember the space being so tight. We were back to canned chicken noodle soup for dinner. Leo wasn't up to cooking and there wasn't much anyone else could do with the supplies we had. Piper and Oakley, the vegetarians, stuck with the canned corn instead of the soup.

"Two more weeks of this…" Piper groaned between spoonfuls.

"Yeah, two weeks and we're back to Camp Half-Blood," Jason tried looking at the bright side. Piper continued to play with her spoon letting the pieces of corn slide off. Two weeks of being stuck on this ship was seeming worse and worse. Fortunately, this time around there would be no Cetus and hopefully no more Sirens.

"Yeah, Camp Half Blood…" I muttered with a slight optimism. Other than that short two-day stay at Camp Half Blood, I hadn't been there in months. Camp Half-Blood seemed so foreign, so distant. Once we get back, I swear I'm cutting myself off quests- at least for a few months. "Speaking of Camp Half-Blood… Percy, how's your memory?"

Percy grinned, "It's all back, I think… why?"

"…Never mind… I was still kind of hoping I could get a joke or two out of it- Conner and Clarisse really got the most out of it," I replied.

"Did I ever know anyone named Calypso?" Percy wondered.

I shook my head, "Calypso? No… not that I know of, anyway." I paused, trying to remember. "Do you remember a Calypso?"

"I think so, not well though, just the name- I thought maybe she was one of your friends or something," Percy shrugged.

"No," I said simply, trying not to read into it too much, but who the Hades was Calypso? Percy didn't remember her well, so maybe she wasn't anyone important.

Ari burst in through the door, "Where's Nico?" she asked quickly.

"Up on deck, I think," Piper pointed towards the stairs lazily, with her spoon.

"Why? Something wrong?" I asked her- knowing Ari there was usually something going horribly wrong or something she would make horribly wrong.

"No, nothing's wrong, I found this-" Ari held up a dead mouse dangling it out in front of me. Gross! "I was going to make Nico bring it back to life," she said gleefully as she hurried up the stairs.

* * *

**_Hope you liked it. Please write a review! Ideas are welcomed. Gratias Ago!_**


	45. Bobby's Siren Song

**Annabeth's Story:**

We set sail that night, flying off over the Mediterranean. It was a particularly windy night- which probably had something to do with Jason- so we were able to make it to the Atlantic by the next night. On board, we fell into our routines- just something to pass the time. Ari would bug Nico, Leo would fly the ship or cook, Hazel would make maps to chart out where we were going, Bobby would play his lyre- most of the time, a slow and sad tune. His best friend had died and he hadn't even been there – he, who may have been able to save him, hadn't been there. I'd be sad too if one of my friends died from something I could have prevented.

He would mope, going off into some corner trying to be ignored- which wasn't very easy considering the tight living spaces. It didn't take long for me to notice, when I did, I joined him- tried to make him feel better, making small talk just to get his mind off Dakota. Making small talk is not easy on a ship like this- you can only talk about the weather so many times- as it is, the weather doesn't change that often- or at least not much noticeable change.

"You should come up on deck," I tried, "it's nice out."

Bobby shook his head.

"I know you're still grieving, but please- it's not good for you to stay inside for too long," I urged.

Bobby sighed, leaning his head against the wall. He stopped playing his lyre. "It's been a rough week… You told me that you love me but refuse to leave Percy and then to top it all off, Dakota died. So can't you just let me stay sad for awhile?"

My eyes fell to the floor- I felt terrible. I shook my head as though it might erase those words and give me a clean slate. It didn't. At the time, those were the right words to say, I don't regret ever saying them or ever kissing him. That was the right thing to do- to let him know that I cared enough that I couldn't just let him give up and die. I felt like a jerk for letting him know all of this- it wasn't fair to him- the lie would have been much safer- easier too. But now with all of this hanging out in the open, nothing was easy.

Bobby spoke up. "If you won't just let me be, I might as well just come out with everything else… I've been thinking about the Siren's song- the one I heard that is…" Bobby strummed at his lyre as though trying to echo the tune. "I know you didn't want to hear it before, but I think it's something you should hear."

I looked up at him. Our gaze met timidly. I was listening.

"It went along like this," he played the tune.

"You remember it by ear?" I asked curiously.

"Wouldn't forget it," he continued to play, "I won't sing it though, that could get um… a little awkward."

"Awkward?" I wondered.

"Not for me- for you."

I nodded and agreed.

Bobby began to tell me his song. "I don't know if others hear their songs this way but this song- it described a moment. It took place a couple years from now- not to distant. I was in the Temple and wearing a toga- I don't wear togas often, but that's what I was wearing. Dakota was there too, my best friend- it's funny how I'll always remember that part now. He was also pretty dressed up or about as dressed up as he could ever be- or… _would have been_."

Bobby took a deep breath before continuing on, "Lupa was there, which meant this was a pretty big deal- you may not believe me but Lupa doesn't talk to us _pups_ very often, not unless it's really important- here, I was important. Things had all worked out here- the quest was over and honestly, I could have cared less about the war. There was a small crowd- the faces of friends and family- other campers, my dad. My dad started playing a guitar- a little unusual, but great; it was that dull, old, melody- umm… how's it go…" he changed the tune to a slightly more recognizable one that made my pulse quicken nervously. "Though I never really liked that tune- too overplayed, I couldn't have been happier hearing it. Then you came, the crowd parted just to watch. You were strolling through the crowd in a pale, white, dress- incredibly beautiful, as always. We were exchanging rings, saying vows, you were about to kiss me again- then I heard Oakley, and everything else came crashing to pieces. I keep playing that song though, it's stupid- I know, but it seems to represent everything that won't come true."

I sighed setting my head on his shoulder, "Bobby… what am I going to do about you?"

* * *

**Really short, I know, just wrapping some things up- nothing to get too nervous about, had to post this, sorry for the wait. Please review, next few chapters will be better- so that I can give this story a happy ending, ideas are welcomed. Gratias Ago!**


	46. Swimming

**Annabeth's Story:**

The rest of the trip home went a lot more smoothly. I didn't bother telling Percy about what Bobby had heard the Siren's singing- figuring it wouldn't concern him. After all, I had already told Percy what I had heard- everything- and that was all he needed to know. With that said, I kept my distance from Bobby for the rest of the trip. It was easier that way. Easier for me, easier for him, easier for Percy. There were no more questions or so I thought…

One night- our fourth day of flying over the Atlantic, I was standing with Percy, up on deck. The deck was clear, with the exception of Jason and Leo, still at work keeping the boat moving. Percy asked, out of the blue, "What happened between you and Bobby back and the ruins?" His sea-green eyes fell on me, full of thought and concern. He was looking for an answer that he wasn't sure he wanted to hear- I'd seen this expression before. It used to be that he would only make a face like this when I'd bring up Luke or if he ever dared ask about Luke, back before Luke died.

I took a breath. My mother would have wanted me to lie- that would have been the wise thing to do. It would make everything so much easier. "I kissed him… but I'm sure you'd already heard about that, but listen- that's in the past- _alea__iacta__ est_."

Percy frowned. It was probably a bad time to throw in a Latin saying even though it was about as Latin as 'carpe diem'. I probably shouldn't have done that...

Percy wasn't hurt or upset or angry, just disappointed. Maybe he was hoping that whatever he'd seen was just an illusion or something, a figment of his imagination. That would have been wonderful- just not the truth.

"Like I told you before, he'll go back to Legion Camp and we'll stay at Camp Half-Blood," I told him again. Percy nodded, slow to accept this. I knew I had pushed his tolerance for Bobby near its limits. "I love you, Percy." I tried.

His expression didn't change. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek as though that made everything better- and perhaps it did. He didn't pull away, but he didn't actually do anything- no response. It was as though he wanted to pretend things were different- as though I'd answered differently. I wished I had.

Things would get better with time- that was all I could hope for.

* * *

Later that night, Percy and I played "Go Fish" with a deck of playing cards we'd borrowed from Leo. We played, crouched and compact, up on the top bunk in the bunk room. The game started slow, with a "Got any two's?"

And a glum, "Go fish," in reply. It went on like that for about ten minutes. Neither of us felt like playing but kept on anyway. "You know what I feel like doing?" Percy asked me.

"What?" I asked a little hopefully.

"I want to go swimming- in the worst way." Percy stated. "I haven't been in the water since I had to dive in to rescue you a few weeks ago."

"Huh…"

"What?" He asked.

"I think you're due for a swim," I giggled. "Didn't Leo anchor the ship?"

Percy jumped excitedly, climbed down from the bunk, pulling me along with him. "Let's go!" He tugged me up the stairs, up on deck. I laughed.

"What are you doing?" Leo, who was still up on deck, panicked.

"Going for a swim, alright?" Percy said quickly, he tugged me along.

"A swim?" Leo hesitated.

Percy wrapped an arm around me. I giggled in agreement.

Percy picked me up, to set me down on the railing of the ship. He climbed up next to me. We interlaced our fingers and plunged through the air- hitting the water in seconds.

I paddled my way up to the surface. Percy's grip was keeping me dry. He pulled me back down playfully and kissed me. It was as though everything was as it is was last summer.

**

* * *

Ariadne's Tale: **

I tossed and turned in my bunk- I had actually managed to get a bunk by trading with Reyna as someone- and I won't name names- told her that sleeping on the floor works wonders on your back. She leaped at the "opportunity" and I took mine. Though the room was dark- pitch black actually, I could see well enough that it bothered me and rendered me unable to get to sleep.

I could see the mouse that I made Nico bring back to life scamper across the floor and hide- guess it wouldn't be my pet then… Oh, well, I'll find another one eventually.

My shoulder ached from when the arrow hit it- I was still in a lot of pain. The pain probably wasn't helping my insomnia. I groaned loudly, hoping I would wake someone up, so at least then I'd have someone to talk to- misery does love its company.

Nico was curled up on the floor- I could wake him up, I schemed. I pulled the pillow out from underneath my head and threw it down, hard, at him. The pillow plopped, landing on top of him. Nico snorted in his sleep, but seemed pretty much unaffected.

_Gods!_ I growled. I gritted my teeth and tried sleeping again.

Then I heard a noise- not right away. It was as though it had been there, just that I hadn't been really listening. It was whispering, a laugh followed by giggling. Then quiet footsteps. A loud creak- chased after by a sudden "Shhhh!" then more giggling.

I sat up in bed- whoever was here obviously couldn't see me. I peered through the doors out of the bunk room- it was Annabeth and Percy. Even in the dark, I could tell they were drenched.

"How am I supposed to find something dry to wear?" Annabeth wondered lightly.

"You wouldn't be all wet if you hadn't let go of my hand," Percy teased. Annabeth giggled quietly to herself.

"Well that explains why I'm soaked- so, Seaweed Brain, why are you?" she questioned.

"Only because you would have looked _ridiculous_ if it was just you," Percy whispered back.

"Ridiculous? I look ridiculous?" she asked.

"Incredibly absurd, Wise Girl," Percy teased.

I looked away- there were a few moments of silence. The two of them were probably making out or something- it felt wrong to be totally creeping on them- but I didn't have much of a choice, I was stuck here. I tried my best to ignore them- give them at least some privacy.

I pulled my covers up over my head and didn't pull them down until morning.

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale (continued)...: **

In the morning, I climbed gingerly down from my bunk- was careful not to step on Hazel's fingers, so daintily hanging off the side of the bunk. Step over Reyna- her face fixed in a scowl- so perhaps I just may be stuck back on the floor unless I can find a way to talk her down. I stepped on Nico's hand, partially on purpose- the other reason was that my legs aren't quite long enough to actually step all the way over him, so oh, well. That boy didn't even budge, but instead just kept on snoring. Continuing out, I skirted around Leo, careful not to step on him and passed Annabeth and Percy- both of which were still in their soaking wet clothes from last night, how they managed to fall asleep in those I'll never know.

I made my way up the stairs just glad to be out of there.

* * *

**A short and sweet little chapter- figured it helped solve a few things. Working on resolving things. This isn't over yet. Ideas are welcomed as always, please review! Thanks! **


	47. Homecoming

**Annabeth's Story: **

I awoke cold, with salt-stinging my skin. Probably shouldn't have fallen asleep in wet clothes- that was a bad idea. I couldn't help it though- it's not as though I could find anything in the dark. I came close to tripping over Leo and Reyna twice- both of which were still asleep when I woke up. I lifted my head, peering over Percy, who was still lying by my side from last night. Everyone else was still asleep- or almost everyone, one of the bunks was empty. _Ari,_ hardly had to guess.

* * *

I let my head fall back against my pillow and rolled over towards Percy. It was early, I was very tired, and besides, only Ari was awake. I settled on going back to sleep.

Later, I found out going back to sleep probably wasn't the best idea. The second time I awoke, it was with sudden panic. I couldn't breathe and was gasping wildly for air. I coughed several times. Drops of water pooled on my skin- I was soaked- significantly more than I had been earlier.

"What the Hades?" I muttered to myself. I looked up to find Gwendolyn, Nico, Piper, and Ari staring down at me. Gwendolyn held an empty bucket.

"Had to get rid of that eye soar somehow," Gwendolyn sneered, dropping the bucket by my feet. Percy was also startled by the splash of water and sat up quickly. I scowled.

Gwen strolled off contently. Ari and Nico giggled a little, happy with the joke. Piper stepped in, offered a hand to help me up. I took it. Once I was on my feet, Piper told me, "Sorry for the rude awakening, but I couldn't fight off Gwen."

Percy helped himself up. Fortunately for Seaweed Brain, though he too had had a bucket of water dumped on him, he wasn't even wet.

"'Morning, ladies," Percy said awkwardly scratching his head, probably not sure of what to make of the situation. I knew I looked furious, my t-shirt clung to my body, and my hair, slightly dripping, hung limply around my face. Percy quickly kissed me on the cheek before climbing up onto deck.

"Gwen's still working on her jealousy, probably would have helped if Dakota was still here," Piper suggested.

I nodded, agreeing.

* * *

Though that morning didn't go too well for me, by evening, we reached Camp Half-Blood, sailing right over the cabins, into camp. A low, loud, note from Conner's conch shell sounded to signify to everyone that we had returned. A small crowd of campers gathered around in the shade beneath the flying ship to greet us. Leo helped us to descend down the ladder by making sure none of the flames got our way. I saw Piper about to head down the ladder when Jason swooped in to lift her up and fly her down. I swear I saw her raise a fist as though arguing how she was perfectly able to get down from the ship herself and didn't need his help, and of course, Jason set her down on the ground ignoring it- as both of them knew Piper probably loved flying around with Jason by now, but she wouldn't have let him know that.

When I finally reached the ground- I recognized a few faces that shouldn't have been there- for instance there was Chiron, standing beside Lupa- _how'd she get here? _

Bobby climbed down from the ship after me, but immediately rushed to Lupa, bowing his head before her. Lupa growled something that I couldn't understand.

"Dakota's dead, Lupa," Bobby muttered.

A couple of campers in the crowd gasped- the Roman campers who came over with Lupa, I assume.

"Though I wasn't there, I heard that he had passed away valiantly in battle. His body was carried away by Mars," Bobby explained solemnly, fighting back tears. He would not be one to cry in front of Lupa.

There was a moment of silence after Bobby finished speaking. I could hear a few Roman campers sniffling. Suddenly, there was a movement in the crowd, a few mumbled, "let me through"'s until Aurora burst through.

"Is that true?" She whined- I had never seen her whine, but she was on the verge of tears. Seeing Aurora on the verge of tear was a little frightening, she was usually so tough and unemotional.

Bobby sighed, before nodding, reluctantly.

Aurora looked away, her eyes were pooling with tears. She bit her lip and moved away from the crowd. Bobby followed her. I saw him put a comforting hand on her shoulder as she broke down, letting the tears flow freely.

Lupa let out a low and loud howl. A couple of the campers went off in silence to prepare a funeral shroud.

* * *

The shroud was ready by the late evening. It was created as a combination effort between the Mars and Ares kids. I wouldn't have expected the shroud to look as nice as it did, based on what I knew of the Mars and Ares kids' capabilities. It was dyed bright red with the image of a boar, for Mars, stitched into it. The shroud burned over the campfire that night.

It reminded me so much of Luke's funeral, though I was sad about what happened to Dakota, I ended up spending the evening clinging to Luke- so glad that he was back and not willing to let go of him, just to remind me that this wasn't his funeral, it was Dakota's.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, ideas are welcomed and please review! Gratias Ago!**


	48. Watching the Funeral Flames

**Annabeth's Story: **

Me and the rest of the Argonauts waited, watching solemnly, until the funeral fires died out, late into the night. Most of the other campers had left- each cabin making up its own reasons. The Aphrodite cabin needed their "beauty sleep", the Athena cabin went off to go study, the Apollo cabin had to practice their instruments- either way all the Greeks were gone, after that, it was just the Romans and the Argonauts.

Leo was the first to leave. Leo hadn't known Dakota well and was eager to get back to his cabin and back to all the little contraptions he had been working on up until we set sail.

Then, Jason and Piper left, wandering off respectfully. It was getting late. All of camp had gotten so dark, the flames of the fire by then were low and slowly dying out. Slowly more campers wandered off back to cabins.

After awhile, Percy poked me on the shoulder. "I'm going to head back to the Nept- I mean Poseidon cabin- it's so confusing… You coming?"

I nodded but said, "Soon, but I think I'll stick around just a little longer."

"Suit yourself," Percy whispered. "'Night, Wise Girl." He grinned at me adorably, before heading off into the dark.

"Sweet dreams, Percy," I replied.

I looked around the fire- it was just Luke, Aurora, Hazel, Bobby, Gwendolyn, and Reyna. Hazel and Gwendolyn were huddled together sniffling. Reyna stared down at her feet. Aurora sat near Luke crying into her hands. Luke was whispering something to her, trying to calm her down. Bobby poked at the fire with a stick bearing a stoic expression. I felt the need to get him to snap out of it- I couldn't stand seeing Bobby like this anymore. I'd thought about doing something for far too long- now I just had to pluck up the courage to actually do it. I sat down next to him so I could whisper, "Come on, you're not going to mope, Dakota would hate to see you like this."

Bobby turned his head.

"Come on, then, get up," I ordered. I grabbed his wrist and gave a forceful tug, "we're going for a walk."

Bobby said nothing. He stood up and went along, following close behind me. It was dark- dark enough that I could only see by the light of the moon. Though camp can be dangerous after dark, I didn't think I had to worry too much- Camp Half Blood had been my home for years, and after the last few months I had, there wasn't much I wasn't prepared for.

It had been a long day, we didn't need to talk. I left it at that. We walked through camp, eventually making it back to the Apollo cabin- I assumed the Romans and Greeks were in the same cabins. Bobby slipped into the dark cabin, no questions asked. He gave me a wave 'goodnight' and a reassuring glance as though to say 'thanks'. Bobby shut the door behind him.

I returned to the Athena Cabin- it was just about how I'd left it, though by now it was dark. I stepped inside, careful to avoid the floorboards that creek. In what little light there was, I could see the faint outlines of my brothers and sisters slumped over in their beds. I noticed Hope and Toby were there sleeping in the usually empty beds. I wonder how the Hermes Cabin is managing, they're cabin is usually full anyway even without the Romans- the Aphrodite Cabin too for that matter… I guess I'd figure that one out tomorrow morning. I could already imagine Drew complaining about overcrowding- ugh, tomorrow sounded like a bad day already and it hadn't even begun.

* * *

**Super short, I know... I intend to write roughly 2 to 3 more chapters to end this story (unless then ending calls for more), I am asking now for any ideas to incorporate into it (to make as great an ending as possible). Looking forward to suggestions. Thanks! **


	49. Camp HalfBlood: Morning

The next morning, I woke up shaking- not just me, it was everything, all the way down to the frame of my bed. Earthquake? It crossed my mind, but from experience, I've learned if the ground is shaking, it's usually not just Poseidon. I grabbed onto the frame of my bed, pulling my head up to see. Then it stopped.

"Sorry, Annabeth!" several voices said quickly- my half siblings… I sighed. I had overslept and they had other projects to start working on and needed the floor space. Even though the Athena cabin had just been rebuilt, it was still a cramped little cabin- the bookshelves over flowed with books and were now stacked in piles on the floor. We had Smart boards running and laptops scattered around the room and graph paper scattered everywhere. It seemed that there was never enough room for all of our stuff…

"Oh, you guys…" I sighed, "The cabin is a mess." It wasn't easy being a cabin counselor and actually being liked by your cabin. My siblings liked me- looked up to me usually. They'd listen as long as I didn't get bossy. "Let's get it cleaned up before you start working on whatever you've got planned."

My half-brothers, Toby and Malcolm, groaned but obeyed. Malcolm was still my assistant counselor- he may not have liked cleaning, but knew it _had_ to be done. Our cabin was known for being organized and he cared about our reputation just as much as anyone. It didn't dawn on me until later that Toby was a Roman- Hazel's second in command. I was glad to see that they got along. It seemed _natural._

I rolled out of bed, slipped on a clean pair of jeans and my purple "Legion Camp" t-shirt. Then I set to work, tearing sheets of the beds, wrapping them into bundles to take out to be put with everyone else's laundry. We put clean, white sheets on the bunks, fluffed up the pillows, and made the cabin look nice- acceptable enough anyway. As soon as we finished the boys went back to work- doing… "What are you doing?" I wondered aloud.

"Preparing…" Malcolm answered, acting unpresumptuous.

"Uh… for what, may I ask?"

The two boys were pulling out books and flipping through the pages wildly. Toby would point to things and Malcolm would nod in agreement, "the quest, of course," Malcolm replied.

"The quest? I just got back, they can't expect me to go out on another one…" I groaned.

"No, not you," he snapped back. "While you were away, Travis Stoll received a prophesy from Rachel Dare, it's something about a giant and fighting the Southern Winds."

"Hmmm…" I thought about it. It had been awhile since I've had a break from these quests… "Are you going on this quest?"

"Don't know," Malcolm shrugged. "But it's best to be prepared. Toby and I are really hoping we'll get to go."

"Travis still has to pick who's going with him," Toby added.

"The gods only know, he's probably just going to pick Conner or Katie, some stupid decision like that," Malcolm grumbled.

* * *

Another quest. I was more than just curious- I needed to hear more. And Travis? Why would the gods ask for anything from either of the Stoll brothers? I didn't get it. I had to talk to Percy about this. I met up with him before breakfast outside his cabin.

"Purple shirt? Really, Wise Girl?" was the first thing he said to me.

I glanced down at my shirt- it was the Legion Camp shirt… "Whoops… just a mistake," I shrugged.

Percy laughed at me. I wrinkled my nose in response. I didn't make mistakes often, on the rare occasion that I did, I preferred it not be right in front of Percy. I let him laugh anyway.

"Did you hear about the quest?" I asked Percy.

"Umm… yeah, Annabeth, we just got back from it- I was there, remember?" Percy teased.

"No, the one that Rachel had apparently announced it while we were away. It's not for us- the quest was given to Travis Stoll," I added.

"Travis… really? Good for him," Percy replied.

"You're not jealous?" I wondered.

"You are?" He asked back.

"A little, I admit, it's just always been that the two of us have gone on every quest or that we've been busy and doing something so that we couldn't go, it's going to be weird to be stuck here at camp…"

"Well sure, do you know who's going on the quest yet?" Percy asked.

"Toby said he'd be picking later today," I relayed.

"Anyway… I've got to talk to Rachel- it feels like forever since I've talked to her. I feel bad, I didn't remember her too well last we talked-" Percy droned on. I could have cared less about Rachel, that annoying red-head. I didn't mind her on her own- but it only made me angry when Percy brought her up.

Percy stopped talking and hurried off to meet up with Rachel leaving me behind at the Poseidon cabin, moping around in my purple t-shirt.

* * *

**_A short tangent, sure. Hope you've enjoyed it! Please write a review, I am open to ideas for my last few chapters, Gratias ago!_**


	50. Lost an Oracle

A short time later, I kept hearing, "Rachel! Ray-chel!"

"_Just answer already…_" I grumbled under my breath.

"RACHEL!" again... I rolled my eyes. I had been sitting outside the Athena cabin, leisurely flipping through a copy of the Iliad.

"Annabeth!" I heard, I raised my head quickly. Percy came sprinting towards me, "Have you seen Rachel anywhere? She's missing."

"Not in her cave?" I said all concerned- though I probably could have cared less.

"No, not there, also Clarisse has been looking for her for hours and can't find her anywhere-"

"Clarisse- why's she looking for her?" I asked suspiciously.

"Probably wants a quest or something," Percy said quickly.

"She didn't threaten Rachel did she?" I wondered- that was enough reason for anyone to go into hiding for at least a little while.

"No, Clarisse seems… _concerned_," Percy detailed.

"Oh…" I guess this is serious. "We'd better start looking then…"

* * *

"Rachel!" I would call out now and then- I had been calling that out for almost an hour now. This girl was seriously nowhere. We had searched just about all of camp- Chiron and Lupa had been informed and were having the other campers search for her too. The oracle going missing could not be a good omen. I was in the woods by then, by myself- Percy had gone off to the lake to search. There was some speculation she may have fallen into the lake. I didn't know what to think of that- Rachel and I may not have been best friends but I certainly didn't want her to die.

The woods were cool- shaded well beneath the growing canopy. The ground was damp enough that I had to be careful in stepping between the puddles and mud. "Rachel!" I called again.

A twig snapped. I turned suddenly- my hand fell to the handle of my knife. I flipped my head around, balanced my stance, and prepared for a fight.

"Bobby?" I sighed loudly with relief. "It's just you…" I slipped my knife back into its sheath.

"I heard your… uh… oracle was missing and thought I'd help look for her," Bobby said quickly.

"Yeah, thanks…" I replied giving him a smile. I was almost surprised he wanted to help- I wouldn't question it. It was a bold move to do as a Roman, but I was glad he wanted to help.

I continued on searching, Bobby followed along helping me search.

"When did she go missing?" Bobby asked, probably just making conversation.

"No idea. Percy was looking for her and figured out she was gone," I answered.

"Percy was looking for her? Looking for another prophesy?" Bobby questioned.

"Actually, no- he was looking for _her." _I emphasized unhappily.

"Why?"

"Gods only know why, probably just had to go say 'hi' or something…" I grumbled.

"Your boyfriend was looking for another girl?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes.

"You don't like her much, do you?" Bobby pointed out the obvious.

I kicked up a spot of dirt angrily, "No."

"…yet, you're part of her search party?"

"She's the oracle, I'm a counselor, I don't have much of a choice now do I?" I grumbled.

"Guess not," Bobby said. "But if you're his girlfriend, you shouldn't have to compete for his attention…" Ugh… He was still stuck on that!

Bobby was trying to prove a point- I didn't know whether or not I agreed with him. He jumped over a puddle of water as we walked and offered a hand to help me across. He gave me a look as though saying that I would never have to struggle getting _his _attention and I could honestly say- I believed him. _Snap out of it, Wise Girl._ I told myself. I ignored his gesture and jumped on my own.

"You would think so," I muttered with a little frustration thinking back to a time when I was actually quite convinced he would have picked Rachel over me. I had always cared about Percy- even if I didn't want to show it. Maybe that was the problem… I bit my lip and sighed.

This was the problem I'd had with Rachel, the problem I'd had with Gwendolyn- I didn't know how much longer I could put up with these things and still be able to force a smile.


	51. Where She Went

**_A Short Glimpse at Rachel's Views: _**

I rubbed the back of my head as I lifted it from the ground. Ouch…. How did the old oracles deal with this? I rubbed my skull with one hand and pulled out clumps of dirt from my hair with the other. Don't get me wrong though- I still LOVE this job- beats going back to my old life any day. Now- more importantly- where the Hades am I? I blinked examining the scenery. Somewhere in the woods, I rationalized, based on the trees and flowers and mud and dirt- it was a good assumption. I lumbered to my feet, holding my head. Another prophesy perhaps? That would explain me blacking out. I was in the middle of cleaning up my cave and suddenly- blank!

Ahh… who am I kidding? I never clean my cave… It sounds a bit better than working on my cave paintings though. My fingers were still stained bright red from the paint. The paint on my hands was dry- so I must have been out here a while then. I was actually pretty surprised that I was all alone- usually there's a team of campers around me when I wake up- a sea of orange-shirted minions, I tease.

Not this time though… If I did have a prophesy, who was it for then? No one is here! Hmmm… I'll talk to Chiron about it once I get back. That is- if I can get back…. I can. I think. Trial and error- I'll get back to camp eventually.

I started walking- not in any specific direction, just to move. I realized then that I wasn't wearing shoes- I don't wear shoes very often so this wasn't too strange. Then I found the Hephaestus bunker carved into the side of a slope. I'd already known it was there- Leo wasn't very good about keeping secrets. Even still I had no idea how to get back to camp from here- perhaps there was a map inside or something, there had to be a map of camp- the Hephaestus kids were always making maps and pictures of things- or were those just blueprints…? I took my chances and went inside.

The bunker was obviously old- with the exception of a few of Leo's things lying around here and there. There were yellowed papers and curling blueprints thrown every which way, lining the walls, tall scrolls of them stacked in corners, and more of them plastered against the table to the point where it seemed that they were the table's surface. I searched around picking up doodles here and there rearranging them. Leo might get angry for me doing all this later- but I'd worry about that when the time came. There was a map!

I almost squealed I was so delighted. I was right! It wasn't a very modern map though... the map was on yellowing paper. Its corners curled inward. It was drawn artfully in faded ink, probably once a very lovely map- now not so much. It was weird though- I remembered it.

Remembered it? Yes. I remembered it. A Civil War map…. that's what I remembered. I didn't know where that came from- just that that was there. Strange…

It was the Civil War- not the Civil War of the North against the South and slavery being bad and whatnot- this was a _demigod_ Civil War. Romans versus the Greeks... What the Hades…?

I traced with my finger the faded lines of the map. I could remember it- not just the map, but Camp Half-Blood when this happened as though I was there. It was a bloody battle- I winced, I could almost feel the gore etched into the paper. It was campers killing campers… all over what? I wondered.

Then it hit me- so stupidly. _Over some girl, of course,_ wait… what?

I was hearing things- I imagine some voice telling me this, clearly not my own. "That didn't even make sense!" I muttered to myself.

_History does repeat itself- the gods are too lazy to come up with new problems_, I heard.

"It's happened before?" I asked myself. "Hades, Rachel! I swear I'm going mad!" I cursed to myself, "Normal people don't talk to themselves- not to find out any truly new information anyway."

_The Trojan War, duh! It happens a lot. That was just a famous one- too many people got involved, and all because of some girl. _

"Some girl…?" I searched for more.

_Helen!_

"Oh…" I didn't know that. I shuttered, because apparently I did know that- I didn't like talking to myself like this.

_A face to launch a thousand sail- not really a thousand sails, though, Homer miscounted. _

* * *

**_Annabeth's Story_:**

Bobby and I kept walking. We were deep into the forest- deeper than I usually ever go. I doubted Rachel would be out here, perhaps that's why I went out this far into the woods. It would give me an excuse for why I wasn't the one to find her. Gods only know, Percy has probably already found her anyway.

That's what I would have liked to assume anyway- right up until I'd heard:

"Well, who caused it last time? …me… Me? Who's that? ….Me- or rather, you… Me?" this incoherent babbling was that of none other than the missing Rachel Elizabeth Dare and what the Hades was she going on about? I'm sure I'd get the full story whether or not it was something I wanted to hear.

"Rachel!" I called out again.

"What? Oh, wait- Annabeth?" Rachel called out, she couldn't see me but she recognized my voice.

I followed the sound of her voice. She was standing outside what looked like a bunker carved into the side of a slope. "Annabeth!" She welcomed me with a squeal.

"Rachel- are you alright? Everyone's been looking for you everywhere," I said quickly.

"Splitting headache and I woke up in the middle of the forest, so, I'd say I'm great!" Somehow she seemed to really mean that.

Bobby intervened with, "How about we get you back to camp quickly- and get your head checked out-" Bobby already was looking her up and down, searching her eyes for signs of concussion, and limbs for bruises.

"Wait! One thing first!" Rachel stopped us. She ran into the bunker quickly and returned in seconds clutching a yellowed scroll. "Alright. _Now_, let's go."

* * *

**_I apologize for the wait. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm open to ideas- I will continue this story steadily as best I can, although it is almost over. Please review! Gratias Ago!_**


	52. Rosaline of the 19th Century

**Annabeth's Story:**

"This is SO weird… no… yes!" Rachel squeaked, she ran her fingers through her curly, red, hair, pulling tightly at it from the roots as though trying pull out an answer to her madness. She was acting weird… or weirder than usual, even for an oracle. We had made it back to camp- Rachel had been rambling like this the whole time. We had made it back to the Big House and were sitting outside. Chiron met us and began trying to make sense of her rambling.

"What's that, Rachel?" Chiron prodded.

"She's talking to herself again," Bobby replied. He had taken up the task of evaluating her- he'd never pass up a chance to play "doctor" even when I highly doubted Rachel needed it.

Rachel ignored Chiron and pulled out the scroll she'd been clutching since we found her. She unrolled it slowly.

"Rachel, where did you find that?" Chiron asked.

Rachel suddenly looked up, meeting his gaze. "The Hephaestus Bunker in the woods," she answered in a monotone. "It's from the war."

"What war?" Bobby asked.

"The Civil War, between the Greeks and the Romans," Rachel broke from the monotone and answered casually as though she grasped an understanding of what she was saying.

"What?" Bobby answered quickly.

"Chiron- I'm hearing voices… that's normal right? Part of being the oracle?"

"Err… No, Rachel. That's not. Even for the oracle," Chiron answered.

"Didn't think so… it's not… that's what_ I_ said," she argued to herself.

"What about the Civil War?" Bobby pestered her for answers. I'll admit that I was curious too. The Civil War had been mentioned but it seemed Chiron hadn't wanted to shed much light on the subject- he hadn't even wanted us to know about Legion Camp at all.

Rachel leaned towards Bobby and began to tell, "The Greeks have always been here in Long Island- ever since Olympus moved, but what you didn't know was that so were the Romans- they lived right here at Camp Half-Blood. The Romans and Greeks were pretty different- always were, different mindsets, I guess." Rachel scratched her head in thought as though trying to recall details, "The Romans were a bit more violent," she continued, "even though Caesar's been dead awhile, the Roman campers still liked him and wanted to rebuild their 'empire'. The Greek campers didn't care, I guess…." Rachel paused, then continued, "The Romans, with Lupa's guidance, began taking over new territory right and left, just so long as mortals didn't notice. There wasn't any problems with that, or wasn't until the Romans wanted to move the 'capital' westward, which was fine right up until Marcus kidnapped _me_… me? Not really me… _yes, me."_ Rachel pulled her hair, "stop confusing them!" she grumbled to herself.

"Who's Marcus?" Bobby asked.

"One of your ancestors- a Roman," Rachel replied. "I think he was in love with whoever's voice keeps telling me these things… Now, he said that the Castrum Romani- Camp of Rome, as that's what they were calling it, wouldn't be great without an oracle- _me!_ Oh… I get it… me…" Rachel muttered to herself. "Anyway, oracles don't fall in love- so he had to kidnap me. The Greek campers didn't like that- you can't just go around kidnapping oracles, it's just not polite- it throws xenia all out of whack. That's what caused the war…"

"…is this true?" I looked to Chiron for an answer.

Chiron nodded, "As terrible as it is, it is true. Now, I'll be consulting Lupa that this piece of history has been exposed. I'll have to decide with her about what actions to take about it. For now, I ask you to keep this quiet."

"Like the Trojan War," I mentioned.

"History repeats itself often enough- whether we can learn from it or not is entirely up to us," Chiron grinned, though he looked a little worried.

"Chiron- who was the oracle during the Civil War?" Rachel piped up.

Chiron thought for a moment, "It was a long time ago- we tried out several living oracles, none of them lasted very long; never long enough to be named a Delphic Oracle. They kept getting shot down by Artemis- she had quite a temper then…"

"So instead we were stuck with the creepy mummy…" I muttered, recalling my past encounters with the previous Delphic Oracle.

"Actually, this was all before 'the creepy mummy'," Chiron teased. "The late nineteenth century, if my memory serves me right."

"Who was the oracle then?" Rachel said quickly.

"She wasn't quite the oracle yet- but was preparing to be, her name was Rosaline, daughter of Apollo-"

Rachel interrupted Chiron's thought with, "I thought that Apollo didn't have any daughters…"

"Usually, not. But then, we hadn't had an oracle for some time- who better to fill the position than a daughter of the god of prophecy?" Chiron explained.

"So it's Rosy- what-her-face is who's talking to me?" Rachel asked. "Rosaline- actually… big difference!" Rachel answered her own question- or that voice in her head did.

"What happened?" I piped up. "How did the war end?" asking Chiron.

"Rosaline was lost in the fighting- either as a casualty of war or she retreated with the Romans. The fighting stopped after a few bloody days of battle- some of the bloodiest I've seen in my existence- which, you should know, has been quite some time. Both sides were weak and the fighting couldn't continue. That's when the treaty was made- that Greeks and Romans would separate entirely. Lupa would take them out far away- to their Castum Romani- so that Greeks and Romans would never cross paths again. It's been over a hundred years and you've never crossed paths until now."

"But if, the Romans took the oracle- why do we have an oracle still, while they don't?" I questioned.

"Rosaline wasn't the oracle yet- after that act of treachery by joining the Romans, Apollo couldn't allow her to be the oracle, not for the Romans anyway," Chiron detailed.

* * *

**Hope you liked it- in the following chapter, I intend to include the characters Luke and Percy, but I thought I'd get this much posted for now. Please Review!**


	53. Post Mortem Friendships

**Annabeth's Story:**

"What happened to her?" Percy wondered. He and Luke met up with me, Bobby, and Chiron an hour later. Rachel was still muttering to herself carrying out a full two-sided conversation. I had just about lost track of who was talking to whom and what exactly she was talking about.

I could hear Rachel whispering, "It's going to happen…it can't, things are different now, we're getting along… it'll happen… you weren't even the oracle… was too! Nu-uh. Yes."

"Are you okay, Rachel?" Percy interrupted her arguing.

The red-haired spaz nodded and calmly replied, "Rosaline and I disagree on some things…"

"Rosaline?" Percy questioned.

"An antebellum prophet that only Rachel can hear, no big deal," I joked.

"Rosaline?" Luke repeated with slight disbelief. "Daughter of Apollo- Rosaline?"

"What? …Yeah, we think so," I replied.

"You know her or something?" Percy asked sarcastically.

Just then Rachel stood up, stretched out her arms and shouted, "LUKE!" She bolted toward him and wrapped her arms around him emphatically. "Luke! I can't believe you made it too!"

"Um… actually, yeah. I kinda do," Luke answered Percy. "Nice to see you too, Rosy," Luke said to Rachel.

"Rosy?" Rachel muttered, "don't make me sick… Ignore her, please!" Rachel looked disgusted and excited all at the same time.

"So… how do you two know each other?" Percy scratched his head, a little confused.

"Post mortem friendships- they're pretty lasting," Rachel/Rosaline answered matter-of-factly.

"Interesting…" Chiron muttered to himself as he watched us all quietly.

"So Luke- we obviously have a lot to catch up on. How did you get back?" Rachel/Rosaline questioned.

"Gaea brought me back, maybe we should talk about this some other time…" Luke said quickly. He was still pretty uncomfortable with the whole 'Gaea' situation.

Rachel continued to ask Luke questions for awhile, most of which I assume was post-mortem issues, something about Styx- though they could have been referring to the band or the river- the context wasn't clear. They talked on about mutual friends, none of which anyone present knew. I stuck around listening for roughly an hour until Percy whispered to me, "Just how did Rachel find this one?"

I giggled and answered, "For once even I'm stumped, we found her in the woods clutching a Civil War map and suddenly a dead daughter of Apollo is talking to her-"

"Wait- the Civil War? Like the American Civil War or-"

"No, you didn't hear about this… there was a Civil War between the Greeks and Romans that happened actually during the mortal Civil War actually, but it started over Rosaline, both sides needed an oracle and the Romans kidnapped Rosaline or something like that…" I wasn't entirely sure I was getting the story right, Chiron and Rachel leaving some things out. I could tell.


	54. Some Things To Do

**Annabeth's Story:**

I watched Rachel suspiciously for awhile. She sat on the front steps of the Big House talking to Lupa, Percy, Chiron, and Luke. I hadn't heard much about the demigod Civil War before. I knew there had been battles at Camp Half-blood before, while constructing the new cabins, I'd seen proof of those battles. In the mud, I found swords, broken armor, all slightly more sinister than just the typical missing equipment.

"So you lost both Percy and Luke to Dare," Bobby said.

"I didn't lose anyone," I muttered, "they're only talking." I changed the subject with, "do you know when your going back to Legion Camp?"

Bobby shook his head, "I'm not sure, but there doesn't seem to be too much going on here other than the thing here with your oracle."

"You'll be leaving soon then..." I muttered. I wasn't so sure how I felt about that.

"Probably..." Bobby concurred. He knew this was coming.

I started to head away from the Big House and towards the cabins.

Bobby called after me, "I'm not ready to leave just yet," he caught up to me and walked by my side.

"Why is that?" I wondered.

"There are some things I'd still like to do before I go," Bobby answered vaguely. I looked at him curiously.

"Things? What things?" I played.

"Some things, and I've got to do them before I go-"

"Like what?" I asked curiously.

"How far are we from Manhattan?"

"What?" that was random...

"I know we're in Long Island, so it can't be too far-"

"Bobby-" I interrupted, "we aren't allowed to go into the city. It will be too dangerous. We could lead monsters right to Camp Half-Blood."

"Alright, don't come, then," Bobby teased.

"No, I'll have to, now- I can already picture you acting like a stupid, unsuspecting, demigod tourist, which makes it so much easier for some monster to go and kill you- I'll have to come," I argued.

"You go to the city a lot?" Bobby grinned.

"Enough," I answered quickly.

"Perfect, you'll have to show me around, I've never been..."

"You've never been? Not even to Olympus?" I gasped.

Bobby shook his head, "Never was a top priority, besides it's too far, I wanted to see New York though- Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building-"

"Wait... Don't you know that Olympus is in the Empire State building?" I questioned.

"What are you talking about?" Bobby laughed, confused.

"The kingdom of the gods is currently located on the 600th floor of the Empire State building," I answered.

"Really?" Bobby laughed, "all the more reason to go then, when should we leave?"

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale**:

I sat cross-legged on the floor of the lookout tower of the Eos cabin, playing with the telescopes. That was pretty much all the fun my little cabin had to offer. I was still the only camper in here representing my mommy, Eos. I adjusted the telescope to see all around camp. I saw Drew and the Aphrodite girls gossiping, a couple Venus girls giving each other makeovers, Leo building something or another, Lupa and Percy and a few others were talking to that red-headed oracle girl, and Annabeth and Bobby laughing not too far from them.

Hmmm... I hadn't heard from any of them since we had gotten off the Argo II. I pointed the telescope away from them. I didn't like that they seemed to have much more eventful lives than I did. I raised the telescope up to the horizon, maybe I could see my mom or something... Doubtful, though, especially since all those stupid buildings keep blocking it... Dumb city, I grumbled. Wait a second... An idea hit me, I couldn't believe I didn't think of it before.

Ten minutes later I was running out the door, headed towards the Hades cabin. The Hades cabin was also pretty small, I heard it was a new cabin but nothing looked all that new about it. It was a dark grey cabin, with a high roof and narrow walls, something about it reminded me of a crypt. Ivy climbed up one of it's sides in a way that would make even a Demeter kid cringe. Definitely Nico's cabin! I ran right up to it and knocked on the door.

"Ghost boy! Open up!" I shouted.

When he took more than three seconds to answer, I let myself in. Inside the cabin was dark, it had stone floors and a few statues, something about it felt eerie.

"Whoa... Ari! What are you doing in here?" Nico freaked.

"We're going out tonight, come on, let's go!" I told him.

Nico squinted a little confused.

"If I could go by myself I would, but I can't so we're shadow traveling," I said quickly grabbing him by the hand. "Come on!"

"You can't just barge in on me like that, I could have been doing something..." Nico muttered.

"But you weren't," I interrupted, "'cause you have no life- at least nothing outside the Underworld, so let's go-"

Nico looked incredibly furious for about half a second, but his expression softened until he just rolled his eyes and let me lead him out reluctantly. Something tells me that if it had been anyone else to talk to him that way he would have released the wrath of Hades, but no, not for me. I giggled happily- it's good to have things my way.

"So where are we going, Lunatic?"

"The Empire State Building- duh..."

"And I was supposed to know that...? How?" Nico wondered.

"'Cause it's an awesome idea, that's how," I replied. I led Nico into the shade of an oak tree and commanded, "Let's go-"

* * *

**_Sorry for the extremely long wait, I didn't have a computer for awhile... I will be accepting ideas for the last few chapters and do expect to throw in a final plot twist before the end. Write a review, amabo te! Gratias ago! _**


	55. Manhattan

**Annabeth's Story**:

As the sun began to set, I whistled for Stella. I heard her whinnying in the distance before she took flight, landing near me and Bobby. I glanced over my shoulder briefly at Luke and Percy still gathered around Rachel, before I pulled myself up onto Stella's back.

I patted Stella's side and muttered, "Thanks for coming." She neighed good-naturally in reply. Bobby scrambled up onto Stella's back to sit behind me.

"Ready to go?" Bobby asked.

I bit my lip, thought carefully, considering Luke, Rachel, and Percy, and nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

Bobby wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder.

At my signal, Stella took off. Once in the air, I turned my head towards Bobby and asked, "Where to?"

"Times Square?" Bobby suggested.

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale**:

Nico teleported us to shady spot in Central Park.

"The park? No, Nico, I thought we were going to the Empire State Building!" I complained.

"We're close enough to walk, besides, I probably shouldn't just pop up in the middle of the city where people can see me, the Mist only hides so much," Nico explained.

"Well, we're not very close," I grumbled.

"It's not such a bad walk... You're the one who wanted to do this anyway... Besides, don't girls usually like walks in the park and stupid stuff like this?"

"Huh, no- even you admit stuff like this is stupid-"

"But it's dark, and everything is kind of green and flowery- girls are supposed to like stuff like that..." Nico mumbled.

"Are you looking for the word 'romantic'?" I snorted.

"No!" Nico snapped.

"Well, I don't want to walk," I complained. "How about a piggy-back ride?"

"What?" Nico said quickly, "no way-" I slowly raised a fist, and Nico changed his answer to, "fine, just in the park though, I'm not going to lug you around the city too."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and jumped onto his back. I wrapped my feet around his waist trying to stay up on his shoulders. Nico wobble for a second trying to keep his balance. "Thanks, Nico," I whispered to him.

"You're just lucky I don't feel up to raising up some dead squirrels to take my side," he mumbled.

I giggled, "Like I couldn't fend them off!" After a few moments of silence during my piggy-back ride, I whispered, "This romantic enough for you, Nico?"

Nico huffed and almost dropped me, but didn't reply.

* * *

**Annabeth's Story:**

As the sky grew darker, Stella took more liberty to fly low over Manhattan. I could hear Bobby gasp like a little kid at the circus, "Wow..." His grip on me tightened as he looked down at the city excitedly. Stella landed in a vacant dead-end street in Hell's Kitchen. Bobby and I dismounted. Stella whinnied and seemed to say, "Whistle when you want me-" before flying off.

From there, Bobby and I walked in no rush to get to Times Square, taking our time to window shop and acknowledge street vendors. As we walked, Bobby slipped one arm around my waist as though to keep me close in the over-crowded city. I thought of resisting, but didn't. I had no excuses to hide behind here. I didn't have to worry about who saw us simply because nobody knew us, there was no one around to glare or gossip.

Eventually, we made it to Broadway. There, the city seemed almost a living, breathing thing in itself, and I don't mean by Gaea's doing. Places like this made me slightly on edge, I had to be wary of monsters, no matter what I was doing. Bobby looked around, clearly in awe, "so much more epic than it was on TV..." he muttered. Something about that made me grin, though I must have been through Times Square dozens of times, it never did effect me the way it did Bobby. I always worried- I had since I was seven years old.

"Incredible..." he muttered. I glanced around to find Bobby's gaze was locked on me. I gave him a smile.

"Well, don't look at me, I didn't build it!"

He laughed and shook his head, "No, it's not that, I was just thinking-"

"Thinking what exactly?" I asked skeptically.

"Of chasing after my siren song..." he told me before pulling me into a tight embrace. My smile faded into a perplexed expression. He was referring to something much more serious than anything I'd ever encountered before and the only thought I could genuinely muster was a stupefied "huh?".

* * *

**Ariadne's Tale**:

Nico quite literally dropped me as soon as we left the park.

"Ouch!" I complained, sitting on the pavement.

"You say that and you weren't even carrying an 80-pound girl on your back for the last twenty minutes..." Nico combatted.

I almost corrected him that I actually weigh 94 pounds, but I'm a girl and there's some rule out there that a girl is never supposed to reveal how much she weighs- such a stupid rule... But I liked Nico enough that I thought I could just let that one go.

I sat on the ground for a few more moments, Nico looked down at me, "You're the one who wanted to do this."

"To be dropped on the ground, no thank-you," I replied, but stretched out an arm for him to help me up. He took my hand and pulled me to my feet.

"Okay, now let's go," I finally said.

* * *

**Annabeth's Story**:

Bobby and I headed out of Times Square and towards the Empire State Building. I hadn't said a word since he mentioned his siren song. No one had ever tried to talk to me about anything like that before, he was making it clear he wasn't after a couple dates and a "boyfriend" status, but something much more than that. I couldn't think about anything like that. I was only seventeen. Percy had never mentioned anything like that, but communication between me and him never was the best when it came to talking about our relationship.

While window shopping on our way to the Empire State Building I was careful to avoid passing jewelry stores and windows with diamond rings on display. As we walked, we chatted lightly, I tried my best to avoid certain topics.

We finally made it to the Empire State Building- but Bobby had been staring at me most of the way, didn't really realize we were there.

"...So this is it-" I said casually.

Bobby looked around, "This is it?" he stared up at top of the building. "Olympus is up there?"

"Yep, 600th floor."

"Can we go see it?" Bobby asked heading towards the revolving door.

I shook my head, "It's usually an invitation only kind of thing, I'm allowed but the gods may not want me to bring you... We could still go up to the observation deck though, if you'd like?"

* * *

We stood up on the observation deck. I could feel the early summer wind whip passed me as I looked down over the city. We were up high enough that the city seemed quiet, even for a few moments, completely still. I wouldn't argue- it was beautiful.

That was until I heard: "Look! What if I dropped this? What if I dropped this? And it hit someone? Do you think they'd die?" ugh... Moment ruined...

I recognized that voice all too well-_ Ari._..

She had one hand out over the rails, holding what I thought looked like a small rock. Nico was standing near her, answered her question with an eager, "I don't know, let's test it!" I rolled my eyes. At that point, I considered stepping in, but decided not to. Though I couldn't really be sure of it, it seemed like "Lunatic" and "Ghost boy" might have been on a date...

I heard Nico ask, "Why did you want to come here so badly anyways?"

"I was looking out my telescope back at camp and thought how awesome it would be to look out my telescope on top of the Empire State Building and how much more stuff I'd be able to see- oh... Dang it! I forgot my telescope..." Ari grumbled.

"Oh..." Nico sighed.

"You're disappointed?" Ari asked, trying to hide some sort of amusement.

Nico shrugged and crossed his arms, "I just thought you would have dragged me out here for something actually worthwhile."

I saw Ari march right up to him so her face was only inches from his and ask, "Worthwhile? Like what?"

He, slightly aggravated she wasn't catching on, made a face, but leaned forward and kissed her.

* * *

**_To answer some questions, I do intend to give this story a happy, agreeable ending, which I won't necessarily say what that is- sorry, no spoilers, besides, it could change- I am accepting ideas for the following chapters and ending, so if you have any ideas at all- tell me, amabo te! As I mentioned before, there will be a final plot twist before the ending, I don't intend for it to be too long... Also WRITE A REVIEW, PLEASE! (Gratias Ago!) _**

**_Also- some other information that I know there may be questions about, I recently thought about how much time has passed since the beginning of this story (in the story) and it has been almost a year- wow... long time... the story started in roughly November or December and it is now about June, I think... (and so the characters are also roughly a year older than they were back in Lost Hero...)_**


	56. Proposal

**Annabeth's Story:**

Around 1:30 a.m. Stella landed at Camp Half-Blood. It was late, long past curfew, but curfew seemed to be less and less of a problem nowadays. Bobby and I dismounted and let Stella return to the stables.

"Have fun?" Bobby yawned.

"Oodles," I answered.

Bobby had begun to walk me back towards my cabin, "I noticed you seemed to be a little freaked out after I mentioned my siren song..."

I looked up at him and tried to force a smile, I didn't want to seem freaked out or anything to hurt him.

"I just wanted you to know that I care about you, Annabeth, we could have a future. I get it- it is a little soon to start talking about getting married and stuff like that, but I just thought it would be something we could think about..." Bobby sighed. We had reached the Athena Cabin and stood outside the door. "I need you to think about that though, Annabeth, like you said, I'm leaving soon, and actually, I wanted to know if you'd like to come with me."

Although I'd like to say I saw this coming, hearing it from Bobby made it real, not just some wild hypothesis. I bit my lip. Part of me wanted to shout 'yes' and squeal happily, but mostly I had a vile feeling in the pit of my stomach that wanted to scream out, 'what about Percy?' I never stopped caring about Percy. I knew I'd had a choice, I had said I would forget all about Bobby when he left for the Roman Legion Camp. Even if I tried anymore, I doubt I would actually fully forget about him... This wasn't fair, not for me, nor Bobby, nor Percy.

Bobby was still waiting for an answer. "I-I'm not so sure, Bobby..." I tried to remain composed but it was pretty clear I didn't want to say this.

"Annabeth, you don't have to know right now, I just want you to think about it, Lupa had said her offer for you to join the Legion still stands, you'd be able to come back as a high ranking official at camp. I don't know that everything will be perfect, but it'll be better than going home without you..." Bobby left those words with me. He kissed me on the forehead before turning away.

Suddenly, we heard someone call, "Annabeth!" I looked out into the dark campgrounds to find Bobby and I weren't alone. Hazel, Luke, and Percy stood together, flashlights in hand, staring out at me and Bobby.

"It's nearly 2 a.m.! Where the Hades were you?" Hazel growled.

Bobby answered before I could, quickly saying, "I took Annabeth into the city to go sightseeing, I didn't expect us to be out this late, it's my fault."

"You should have told someone!" Luke scolded.

"Annabeth, I kept calling your cell-phone, why didn't you pick up?" Percy interrupted.

"Oh, Percy!" I pleaded, "I couldn't have, it's been on the bottom of the Delaware River since December..." Thanks a lot, Aurora...

"And now I find out you were with Bobby?" Percy muttered, never raising his voice. He stared at me wide-eyed and hurt. I heard Bobby say, "It wasn't like that-" but it was exactly like that...

I couldn't keep doing this, I didn't want to start anything like this in the first place, it kind of just happened, it spiraled and spun until I no longer had any control over what was happening. I could only stand there, caught in the middle of all of this. I wanted to run to Percy, hold onto him until things were better, I couldn't... Not now, not when I was the problem.

"What is it then? Why are you doing this?" Percy muttered, breathing heavily.

A tear dripped down my chin. I shook my head, I didn't even know why I was doing this anymore. Seeing Percy like this was too painful, I couldn't bear to think I was the one who had made him like this. My tears kept coming. Bobby looked at me sympathetically but made no move, he didn't want to do anymore damage, not when it looked like this.

* * *

**_Figured this would happen at some point- now faithful readers, please tell me where I should be going with this, I'll try to write more chapters quickly. Gratias Ago. I have a few plans in mind, but nothing set in stone. _**


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